15/July/21

 

Stop Designer Babies has criticised two World Health Organization (WHO) reports on human gene editing. The WHO says that the reports "provide advice and recommendations on "governance mechanisms for human genome editing". But according to Stop Designer Babies, the reports fail to recommend the obvious solution to the risks of the unregulated creation of GM designer babies – a global ban. Stuart A. Newman, PhD, Professor of Cell Biology and Anatomy at New York Medical College, commented, "Leaving the door open to GM humans, as WHO does in these reports, flies in the face of science that demonstrates that embryos cannot be reliably engineered. Every attempt to do so, now or in the future, will be an uncontrolled experiment on a prospective person. There are justified uses of genetic modification to cure diseases in desperately ill patients. CRISPR-modified babies, however, is an unethical technology." GMWatch

 

 

In May the Arkansas state Plant Board voted to allow farmers to spray the weedkiller dicamba up until June 30 over the top of GM dicamba-tolerant soybeans and cotton. The result has been massive damage caused to crops, trees, and garden plants as the weedkiller drifts off-target. Gale Stewart is a Little Rock lawyer, farm owner, and plaintiff in a lawsuit attempting to limit use of the chemical. She tried to obtain a restraining order restricting the spraying permission through the courts but failed. She distributed a moving letter to farmers and others about the ongoing crisis caused by dicamba damage, in which she reports the victimisation of people who oppose the spraying, including "arson and intimidation". GMWatch

 

 

The EU Commission has rejected criticism of its report on plants and new GM (gene editing). In a letter to Testbiotech, the Commission stated that there were no new risks associated with plants derived from genetically engineered plants compared to conventionally bred plants, as long as no transgenes were inserted. The Commission is directly repeating claims made by industry and affiliated experts that are contrary to existing scientific evidence. Testbiotech is therefore warning against the spread of misinformation and disregarding of science. GMWatch