The Council for Responsible Genetics (CRG) was a

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

with a focus on

biotechnology Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that involves the integration of natural sciences and Engineering Science, engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms and parts thereof for products and services. Specialists ...

History

The Council for Responsible Genetics was founded in 1983 in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

. An early voice concerned about the social and ethical implications of modern genetic technologies, CRG organized a 1985 Congressional Briefing and a 1986 panel of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...

, both focusing on the potential dangers of genetically engineered biological weapons.

Francis Boyle Francis Anthony Boyle (March 25, 1950 – January 30, 2025) was an American human rights lawyer and professor of international law at the University of Illinois College of Law. He served as counsel for Bosnia and Herzegovina and supported the ...

was asked to draft legislation setting limits on the use of genetic engineering, leading to the

Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act of 1989 The Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act of 1989 (BWATA), ) was a piece of U.S. legislation that was passed into law in 1990. It provided for the implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention as well as criminal penalties for violation of i ...

. CRG was the first organization to advance a comprehensive, scientifically based position against

human germline engineering Human germline engineering (HGE) is the process by which the genome of an individual is modified in such a way that the change is heritable. This is achieved by altering the genes of the germ cells, which mature into eggs and sperm. HGE is pro ...

. It was also the first to compile documented cases of

genetic discrimination Genetic discrimination occurs when people treat others (or are treated) differently because they have or are perceived to have a gene mutation(s) that causes or increases the risk of an inherited disorder. It may also refer to any and all discr ...

, laying the intellectual groundwork for the

Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (, GINA ), is an Act of Congress in the United States designed to prohibit some types of genetic discrimination. The act bars the use of genetic information in health insurance and employm ...

of 2008 (GINA). The organization created both a Genetic Bill of Rights and a Citizen's Guide to Genetically Modified Food. Also notable are CRG's support for the "Safe Seeds Campaign" (for avoiding

gene flow In population genetics, gene flow (also known as migration and allele flow) is the transfer of genetic variation, genetic material from one population to another. If the rate of gene flow is high enough, then two populations will have equivalent ...

from

genetically engineered Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology. It is a set of technologies used to change the genetic makeup of cells, including th ...

to non-GE seed) and the organization of a US conference on Forensic DNA Databanks and Racial Disparities in the Criminal Justice System. In 2010 CRG led a successful campaign to roll back a controversial student

genetic testing Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...

program at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

. In 2011, CRG led a campaign to successfully enact alGINAin California, which extended

genetic privacy Genetic privacy involves the concept of personal privacy concerning the storing, repurposing, provision to third parties, and displaying of information pertaining to one's genetic information. This concept also encompasses privacy regarding the abi ...

and nondiscrimination protections to life, disability and long term care insurance, mortgages, lending and other areas. CRG issued five anthologies of commentaries: * ''Rights and Liberties in the Biotech Age'' edited by Sheldon Krimsky and Peter Shorett * ''Race and the Genetic Revolution: Science, Myth and Culture'' * ''Genetic Explanations: Sense and Nonsense'' edited by Krimsky and

Jeremy Gruber Jeremy Gruber is a lawyer, writer, and public policy advocate and is the senior vice president at Open Primaries. He regularltestifiesbefore state legislatures on bills to open the primaries. He is the former President and Executive Director of the ...

* ''Biotechnology in our Lives'' edited by Krimsky and Gruber * ''The GMO Deception'' edited by Krimsky and Gruber * Principles and projects CRG "fosters public debate about the social, ethical and environmental implications of genetic technologies." They list three central

principles A principle may relate to a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of beliefs or behavior or a chain of reasoning. They provide a guide for behavior or evaluation. A principle can make values explicit, so t ...

: *The public must have access to clear and understandable information on technological innovations. *The public must be able to participate in public and private decision making concerning technological developments and their implementation. *New technologies must meet social needs. Problems rooted in poverty, racism, and other forms of inequality, according to CRG, cannot be remedied by technology alone. In 2007, CRG hosted a retreat to refresh the mission statement and determine goals for the future of the organization. The outcome was that CRG should: *Explore and document developments in biotechnology through a holistic approach that considers science within a social, cultural, ethical, and environmental context. *Serve as a global knowledge resource, providing information and education about the potential impact of new and emerging biotechnologies. *Develop concrete policy solutions to address what CRG feels are emerging issues in biotechnology. *Mobilize and collaborate with scientists and other organizations to inform the public and promote democratic control of science. *Expose what CRG views as over-simplified and distorted claims regarding the role of genetics in human disease, development and behavior. The pioneering contributions of CRG to public interest initiatives concerned with appropriate use of biotechnologies are recounted in the book ''Biotech Juggernaut: Hope, Hype, and Hidden Agendas of Entrepreneurial Bioscience'' (Routledge, 2019).

''GeneWatch''

The CRG publishes ''Genewatch'', America's first and (according to CRG in 2009) only magazine dedicated to monitoring biotechnology's social, ethical and environmental consequences. The publication covers a broad spectrum of issues, from

genetically modified food Genetically modified foods (GM foods), also known as genetically engineered foods (GE foods), or bioengineered foods are foods produced from organisms that have had changes introduced into their DNA using various methods of genetic engineering. G ...

biological weapon Biological agents, also known as biological weapons or bioweapons, are pathogens used as weapons. In addition to these living or replicating pathogens, toxins and Toxin#Biotoxins, biotoxins are also included among the bio-agents. More than 1,2 ...

s, genetic

privacy Privacy (, ) is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves, and thereby express themselves selectively. The domain of privacy partially overlaps with security, which can include the concepts of a ...

and discrimination,

reproductive technology Reproductive technology encompasses all current and anticipated uses of technology in human and animal reproduction, including assisted reproductive technology (ART), contraception and others. It is also termed Assisted Reproductive Technology, whe ...

, and

human cloning Human cloning is the creation of a genetically Cloning, identical copy of a human. The term is generally used to refer to artificial human cloning, which is the reproduction of human Cell (biology), cells and Tissue (biology), tissue. It does ...

. Established in 1983, the publication won the

Utne Utne is a village in Ullensvang municipality in the Hardanger region of Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the northern end of the Folgefonn Peninsula, at the confluence of the Sørfjorden and Hardangerfjorden. The village is ...

Independent Press Award for General Excellence in the category of newsletters in 2006.

Funding

A major source of CRG's funding is the

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a $25,000 (about $550,000 in 2023) gift from Edsel Ford. ...

, which provided $420,000 in grants during 2005-2007.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Council For Responsible Genetics Appropriate technology organizations Medical and health organizations based in Massachusetts Biotechnology organizations Genetics organizations 1983 establishments in Massachusetts 1983 establishments in the United States Organizations established in 1983

History

''GeneWatch''

Funding

See also

References

External links