In this activity, students use role playing to explore different stakeholders’ perspectives on the issue of using transgenic cows to make medicines to treat human diseases. The activity forms part of the unit plan Ethics of transgenic cows.
Purpose
Students explore an ethical issue from different stakeholders’ perspectives and weigh up arguments to reach a decision. Students should understand that ethical issues are often complex with no ‘right’ answer, but ethical deliberation can help us to make informed, justified decisions.
An update: changes in funding mean that AgResearch is no longer active in biomedical research projects. In its 2017 report to the EPA, AgResearch noted that it still has around 40 transgenic cows in its Waikato containment facility. Most of these cows are for casein and beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) research. Although some research mentioned in the transgenic cows story has ceased, the ethical issues involved in genetic modification of animals remain.
Keywords
Ethics, transgenics, genetic modification, role-play.
