Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.3.91.970717110724.7525B-100000@fox.ksu.ksu.edu> Date: Thu, 17 Jul 1997 11:08:27 -0500 From: kerry miller <mailto:astingsh@KSU.EDU> Subject: Patenting Life: European Parliament (fwd) To: mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU
---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: 17 Jul 1997 01:33:48 From: mailto:resclove@amherst.edu To: Recipients of conference <mailto:pol-sci-tech@igc.apc.org> Subject: Patenting Life: European ParliamentFrom: Richard Sclove <mailto:resclove@amherst.edu>
---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 16 Jul 1997 19:24:12 -0700 (PDT) From: Beth Burrows <mailto:beb@igc.apc.org> To: mailto:resclove@amherst.edu, wfcnat@web.net Subject: What Happened in Europe
Dear Friends,
Today I received a press release from Europe telling me the European Parliament(EP) had voted overwhelmingly "to allow patents on life".
The press release said:
"The largest lobby campaign in the history of the European Parliament has today culminated in a vote that demonstrates a deplorable lack of democratic responsibility by the EP.
"Today, MEPS (members of the European Parliament) voted against the expressed concerns of virtually all sectors of European civil society, to allow Patents on Life - for the sole benefit of the large biotech companies.
"Churches of all faiths, doctors, medical associations, patients, farmers, animal and plant breeders, developing countries, environmentalists, animal welfare groups and many others have in the past months expressed their strong opposition to the notion of patenting life forms. However, the democratically elected MEPs have chosen to ignore this statement by their electorate and instead have succumbed to the threats and unproven promises of the multinational industry.
"This vote will add to the mistrust of the European public towards the European institutions and will strengthen the impression that the European Union is only a Union of the European Industries rather than a Union of the European Peoples."
As disappointing as the vote was, it is clear that people in Europe, as do people here in the US and all over the world, continue to resist the forces of commodification in their lives, including (and for some of us, most especially) the forces pushing, as this vote did, for the patenting of genes, human cells, body parts and organs and whole plant and animal varieties and parts thereof." (The only living organisms the new Patenting Directive excludes from patenting are whole humans and human embryos. Patents on cloned humans and human parts are left ambiguous.)
As one European campaigner noted, "This is a critical moment in the long and crucial battle against the total privatisation of life's basic building blocks - and indeed life itself. If there is any positive conclusion to be drawn from our campaign, it is that we have managed to create a much broader understanding and awareness about the trememdous implications of the patenting of life forms. The response from civil society in Europe and elsewhere has been simply overwhelming and we will continue to help build resistance against what we consider the last assault on the commons."
It's true. We will continue the fight.And eventually we will win because of the support of people like you.
I'll keep you posted.
Be well.
Beth Burrows Director The Edmonds Institute 20319-92nd Avenue West Edmonds, WA 98020 USA