BIO Statement of Ethical Principles

We will not, for example, treat genetic disorders by altering the genes of human sperm or eggs until the medical, ethical and social issues that will arise from this kind of therapy have been more broadly discussed and clarified. Also, we support continuation of the voluntary moratorium on the potential cloning of entire human beings, with the understanding that research should continue on the cloning of genes and cells to benefit humankind.

We adhere to strict informed-consent procedures.

For clinical research conducted in the United States, the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration require informed consent from all participants and approval by a national or local review board. We adhere to these requirements in our medical research, except in situations in which obtaining consent is not necessary (e.g., research on anonymous information) or not possible (e.g., emergency care of unconscious patients).

We will abide by the ethical standards of the American Medical Association and, where appropriate, other health-care professional societies to ensure that our products are appropriately prescribed, dispensed and used.

These ethical standards are designed to ensure that health-care professionals do not receive monetary or other compensation that might adversely affect how they care for their patients.

We develop our agricultural products to enhance the world's food supply and to promote sustainable agriculture with attendant environmental benefits.

There are significant advantages to increasing the yield of crops. Farmers must produce increasing amounts of food per acre to feed a growing global population. We will strive to make this possible while reducing the amount of external supplements (fertilizers, pesticides, etc.) necessary. We will develop our products with an eye toward good stewardship of our agricultural and environmental resources and the sustainability of such development. With regard to the development of new agriculture crops, we pledge to abide by established standards of environmental safety at home and abroad.

We develop environmental biotechnology to clean up hazardous waste more efficiently with less disruption to the environment and to prevent pollution by treating waste before it is released.

Many environmental engineering firms, industry and governments are using biotechnology to harness the power of naturally occurring organisms to degrade contaminants at hazardous waste sites. We will strive to optimize the cost-efficiencies and environmental advantages associated with using biotechnology while protecting human health and the environment. We also will continue to develop and implement more environmentally safe and cost-effective means of treating hazardous waste streams in industrial processes.

We oppose the use of biotechnology to develop weapons.

We support the Biological Weapons Convention, a treaty signed by the United States and many other nations banning development and use of biological weapons. We will not undertake any research intended for use in developing, testing or producing such weapons.

We continue to support the conservation of biological diversity.

The genetic variation of animals, plants and other organisms is a valuable natural resource. The environment is constantly changing, and without an adequate store of genetic diversity, organisms will not be able to adapt. Genetic diversity decreases every time a species, breed or crop variety becomes extinct. Working with governments and other organizations, we will help to catalog and conserve these precious resources.