Corporations Are Patenting Human Genes and Tissues -- Here's Why That's Terrifying

[marmar]

AlterNet / By Brad Jacobson

Corporations Are Patenting Human Genes and Tissues -- Here's Why That's Terrifying
A medical ethicist explains the dark implications of corporate medical patents and the nightmarish scenario of our medical-industrial complex.

November 23, 2011 |


Do you think that granting corporations the rights of people in the Citizens United case is disturbing? Then contemplate the fact that corporations have been patenting human genes and tissues at alarming rates -- in the last 30 years, more than 40,000 patents have been granted on genes alone.

As the Occupy movement fights against the unmitigated influence of corporations on our lives, author Harriet Washington's new book, Deadly Monopolies: The Shocking Corporate Takeover of Life Itself--And the Consequences for Your Health and Our Medical Future, is a timely wakeup call to protect the very essence of human life from the medical-industrial complex.

In a recent phone interview with AlterNet, Washington discussed the dark implications of corporate medical patents, how we find ourselves in this nightmarish scenario and what needs to be done to stop medical research profits from trumping human health.

Brad Jacobson: The main piece of legislation that opened the door for corporations to begin patenting human life was the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980. Can you tell us how this law was sold to the American people?

Harriet Washington: Just to recap what the Bayh-Dole Act is, basically it was a law that permitted for the first time universities to legally transfer their patents to private corporations, to sell them, license them. That had been virtually prohibited in the past because most of these new inventions had been developed with tax dollars. And the thinking had been, "If you develop things with our tax dollars, then we shouldn't allow them to go to private corporations who can establish a monopoly with their patents." ..................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/health/153203/corporations_are_patenting_human_genes_and_tissues_--_here%27s_why_that%27s_terrifying/

[xchrom]

1. recommend

[Enthusiast]

2. Kicked and recommended!

Nothing is too good for corporations.

[CrispyQ]

3. For the dumb fucks on TV, who ask "What is the OWS message?"

It's the corporations, stupid!"

If we don't rein in these behemoths, they will destroy everything good & fine on this planet.

k&r

[midnight]

4. This is concerning... We have stem cells that could bypass this route....

[Karenina]

5. Amy Goodman (Democracy Now!) interviewed

Harriet Washington in October. A must watch...

http://www.democracynow.org/2011/10/31/deadly_monopolies_medical_ethicist_harriet_washington

[theaocp]

6. Here I come, Gattaca. n/t

[Skittles]

7. I believe I will be exiting this earth at just the right time

:scared:

[Nay]

8. Me, too. What a nightmare. It's just one hit after another. I knew there

was a reason the human race has scared the shit out of me since I was a little kid. Just look around!

[dotymed]

9. This is a good example of why OWS cannot make specific

"demands." Corporations are so destructive to the world that before we change or stop specific, horrendous practices (perpetuated by the 1%), we have to develop a complete new paradigm for the way our country's hierarchy is established. There are so many examples of horrendous acts due to our "for profit" governance.

[Overseas]

10. very eerie.

[xxqqqzme]

11. It's just one body slam after another.

Is there anything that has not been tainted or ruined by these monsters?

[saras]

12. All these patents need to be found invalid due to previous public domain work.

[The Wielding Truth]

14. Exactly!

[McCamy Taylor]

13. This is going to become problematic when they can clone humans----and you will find some company

now owns your DNA. Meaning if you want them to clone you a new kidney, you will have to pay. And they will be able to reproduce you without your approval. But you will not be able to clone a twin "child" without paying someone else.

[Alameda]

15. .....this is theft....your DNA could already have been "patented"

go to the dentist....have a little thing done and zap. My father is being "studied", I tried to warn him against it, but he thinks he's helping humanity.....$#%@! So....if they have his chromosomes, don't they have a major piece of the whole line? You know cousins, sister and brothers, aunts...anyone who shares that line?

[saras]

16. We need a nonprofit: sequence our DNA and release under a Creative Commons no-commercial-use license

attribution is optional

[JJW]

17. Amerika sure did turn out bad!

So now corporation who have person-hood can be masters of other people.

This should be a crime against humanity because it is trafficking for profit in human body parts.

[joshguitar]

18. just watched a documentary on this very subject

1000's of living organisms patented. Monsanto leads the pack. crazy, crazy shit.

Reads like ba sci-fi...but it's sci-fact

[joshguitar]

19. just watched a documentary on this very subject

1000's of living organisms patented. Monsanto leads the pack. crazy, crazy shit.

Reads like bad sci-fi...but it's sci-fact