Team:Potsdam Bioware/SocialBrick/Science Meets Politics

Science Meets Politics

This year we interviewed six Members of the German parliament (Bundestag) affiliated with two different parties, the CDU and the SPD, as well as members of the squad for economy and environment of the Pirate party. Furthermore, we met the German Minister of Education, Mrs. Prof. Schavan. In the following sections we summarize the interviews.

The Pirate Party Germany

Interview with the Pirate Party Berlin

Details about the Pirate Party Germany

The Pirate Party Germany is an alternative party which combines different political directions. The party demands direct democracy, transparency and freedom of information. That is why they are critical with copyright and patent law. Currently the party is not member of the German Bundestag but represented in some Landtagen (parliament of German constitutive federal states). We got the chance to meet the Berlin Squad for economy and environment on 6th September 2012. The Members of the Squad tried to answer our questions about Synthetic Biology. It has to be mentioned, that the given answers are not the opinion of the whole Pirate Party, only of the Berlin Squad for economy and environment.
Homepage Pirate Party Germany

Statements on Synthetic Biology

Primarily, we promote science and also demand the financial support of projects. Nevertheless, we see also the risks and potentially danger of Synthetic Biology. In the worst case we would abstain from gaining knowledge about a topic if there is danger associated with it. Nevertheless there is a great potential of Synthetic Biology for example to avoid animal experiments. However, we see the release of genetically modified organisms into the environment very critical. For example, we would not have supported the disposal of genetically modified bacteria to combat the Exxon Valdez catastrophe 1989. Two points are very important, because they are official positions of Pirate Party Germany. Firstly, we demand free access to information for society because we don´t see danger for the public safety. In our opinion, the withholding of information promotes illegal behavior. Therefore, we strictly refuse military research. That is the reason why we demand the support of public research. That is also a part of the second point: when we financially support companies the results have to be freely accessible for the public without any constraints. Finally we recommend a survey in any case of public interest.

Dr. Max Lehmer

Telephone interview with Dr. Lehmer (CSU)

Details about Dr. Max Lehmer

Dr. Max Lehmer received a doctor’s degree for agricultural sciences in 1981. Since 1970 he’s a member of the CSU party and since 2005 member of the German Bundestag. He is also member of the Committee on Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection.
Homepage Dr. Max Lehmer

Statements on Synthetic Biology

Synthetic Biology is one of the most exciting science fields. There is a great potential associated with Synthetic Biology which we can and should use. Specially, the green genetic engineering provides us with many possibilities to respond to future challenges such as climate change. That is the reason why we should financially support companies developing Synthetic Biology and German teams participating in the iGEM competition. Of course, there are some risks and uncertainties. Nevertheless, we should use the possibilities of Synthetic Biology in form of genetically modified organisms to meet the world’s need for food, to cure diseases or even to attenuate the consequences of ecological disasters.
To increase public acceptance for Synthetic Biology, it is important that scientists, politicians and other citizens work together, for example in a civic dialogue. In my opinion this process is very important, because the refusal of genetically modified organisms in our daily life, for example in our food, will not be sustainable in the light of the increasing market potential and possibilities of Synthetic Biology in the future. Furthermore, I think that the German public and politics overreact to the topic of Synthetic Biology or genetic engineering in general. Although Synthetic Biology provides us with many useful tools to modify and change genetic information, it can also be used to genetically generate dangerous biological material like Dutch scientists did with the H5N1 virus in 2011. Nevertheless, information should not be restrained. In contrast, we have to discuss the problems more transparently.

Mechthild Heil

Interview with Mrs. Heil (CDU)

Details about Mechthild Heil

Mrs. Mechthild Heil studied architecture at the University of Kaiserslautern, graduating with an engineering degree. Since 2009 she is a member of the Committee on Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection and since 2010 Commissioner for consumer protection of the CDU/CSU parliamentary Group.
Homepage Mechthild Heil

Statements on Synthetic Biology

Synthetic Biology is a field with great potential. This new scientific field offers totally different possibilities to examine DNA chains. Although we have controversial discussions in the media, we should take the opportunity to try this new approach.
The parliament supports various projects. Synthetic Biology is a long term project which offers a lot of chances. Therefore we should think about financial assistance to support this emerging project. In order to enable companies to establish themselves on the market, the financially support should be restricted to a certain time period. Information is the key element for approaching new ideas, especially in the technological field. Thus we, as politicians, have the duty to inform the people about advantages and risks of Synthetic Biology. If people understand the potential of Synthetic Biology, the acceptance will increase. Therefore a transparent and open dialog between stakeholders and society is necessary.
In my opinion the resistance to genetically modified organism is not sustainable in the future. There is a great difference in the law on genetically modified organisms between Germany and other countries in the world.
Despite the great potential of the Synthetic Biology we also should think about the risks of the Synthetic Biology and the genetically modified organisms. With the law on genetic engineering and negotiated agreements of the companies we have instruments to handle almost all safety questions in Germany. There are also negative aspects, such as the example of the modified H5N1 virus 2011 which underlines the conflict between open source information and public safety. Thus, it is very important to publish information openly without any constraints.

René Röspel

Interview with Mr. Röspel (SPD) and Dr. Rossmann (SPD)

Details about René Röspel

After training as businessman assistant 1988 René Röspel studied biology at the University Bochum. From 1994 to 1998 he worked as scientific assistant in cancer research in Essen. Since 1998 he is a member of the German Bundestag. He is also a member of the Committee on Education, Research and Technology Assessment.
Homepage René Röspel

Dr. Ernst Dieter Rossmann

(SPD, Member of the German Bundestag)

Details about Dr. Ernst Dieter Rossmann

After studying psychologist Dr. Rossmann received a doctor’s degree for sports sciences. Since 1971 he is a member of the SPD and since 1998 member of the German Bundestag. Dr. Rossmann is also a member of the Committee on Education, Research and Technology Assessment.
Homepage Dr. Rossmann

Statements on Synthetic Biology

In general it is difficult to find a clear separation between Synthetic Biology and genetic engineering. Nevertheless, it has to be mentioned that this new scientific field provides many advantages but also a new exposure to risks which has to be discussed.
Firstly, we have to be careful with the hope we set in Synthetic Biology. Surely there are problems which can be solved by the Synthetic Biology. But nevertheless, there are problems which have to be resolved in a different way, a political and social way, for example the world’s need for food.
Secondly, we should not ignore the risks of the Synthetic Biology. That is the reason why education of the people is an important aspect. Not only politicians but also scientists have the duty to inform the people about dangers. Especially scientists have not only the freedom of scientific work but also the responsibility to assume an obligation for their own work. For difficult safety questions, for example the modified H5N1 virus, it is important to have both: the scientist’s self-control and the public control.
Because of unsolved safety questions, we have the opinion that we in Germany should be critical with genetically modified organisms and should try to abstain from those genetically modified organisms which directly serve as food, for example maize. For genetically modified organisms that produce proteins or other metabolites which are used as ingredients we trust in process technology to hinder contamination with these organisms.
In the end we should support research and development in the field of Synthetic Biology. However, we think that it does not make sense to give financial support to companies because we as representatives of the German population have to support public projects and not commercial projects. For the iGEM competition, we should think about giving financial support to the German teams, for example in form of travel costs. Nevertheless, we have to consider also other teams in other competitions which need financial support.

Interview Mr. Gienger

Interview with Mr. Gienger (CDU)

Details about Mr. Gienger

Eberhard Gienger studied sports, English and Russian. From 1971 to 1981, he won different competitions, among other things, a bronze medal at the Olympic Games 1976 in Montreal. Since 1990, he is the business manager of Eberhard Gienger Pro-Motion GmbH. Since October 2001, he is a member of the CDU party and since 2002 a member of the German parliament. Mr. Gienger is also a member of the Committee on Education, Research and Technology Assessment.

Statements on Synthetic Biology

Many people pin their hope on Synthetic Biology. This new scientific field has a great potential to develop new drugs and synthesize or harness new forms of energy. Nevertheless, scientists should be careful with two things: the release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and the education of the public about advantages and risks of Synthetic Biology. For the first point, it is very important to promote research in this field to estimate the risks of release. Surely, the use of genetically modified organisms to meet the world’s need for food, to attenuate the consequences of ecological disasters, or to prevent animal experiments should be discussed, but the scientists have to be careful with GMOs and should spend more research on the consequences. With regard to public education, green genetic engineering shows us that many people refuse the practical application of this scientific field. Therefore, every scientist has the duty to inform the public about Synthetic Biology and present in laymen words his or her research to improve understanding, because we have to rely on scientists who can estimate risks and danger more competent. For this point, it is also important to know that research has limits which were created by religion and ethics. That is the reason why we offer ethical support for companies. To put it into a nut shell, research should be used for the collective good. Therefore, I think that information should not be restricted although some information has a dangerous potential. Transparency is very important in science and should be protected.