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International Ethics
In Australia the rabbit is a pest and the myxoma virus carrying the sterility gene would be encouraged to spread to every corner of the country . There is no way, once the virus is released that it can ever be captured and stopped, and there is no way it can be isolated to Australia. There is a very slim chance that it could spread to other countries where the animals are native or do not pose a threat as a pest. Both China and France have a high population of domestic rabbits bred for human consumption. In France there is currently a research project under way to produce a vaccine to the myxoma virus to protect their meat industry. It could be potentially devastating if the immunosterilising virus found its way into either country.
The Genetic Manipulation Advisory Council (GMAC)
Having a body such as GMAC for approving the release of genetically modified organisms relieves the scientists from much of the burden of having to worry about unexpected consequences of a release. There is, however a more insidious problem with a existence of body such a GMAC. Not unnaturally scientists involved with a program such as the immunocontraception program tend to be somewhat blinkered about the risks because they wish the program to proceed to its "logical" conclusion. These blinkers become even larger because the scientists have to argue a case to GMAC for release (and argue that same case for further scarce funding). This is unfortunate as these scientists are the very ones who could best appreciate the risks if they did not have these blinkers. GMAC however is a nuetral body whose final decision is based on careful consideration of all facts and the precuationary principle.
Laboratory Rabbits In Research
Many laboratory rabbits will be deliberately infected with myxoma and apparently suffer. The rationale for allowing this suffering can be either a greater economic good, for the land or for the greater good for rabbits as a species. The argument for the rabbits benefit is that if the immunocontraception program works, then many rabbits will remain unborn and not suffer from field myxomatosis, from conventional control methods or any other unpleasent death. The greater good for humans and rabbits will only result if the program works but this is uncertain and therefore the ethics of infecting rabbits is presumably on uncertain grounds. Animal welfare in scientific experimentation is another concern but regulatory bodies addressing this:
" At a national level there is an Australian code of practice for the care and use of animals for scientific purpose. The code requires that proposals involving the use of live non-human vertebrate animals in genetic manipulation research work must be submitted to the institutions' Animal Experimentation Officer for approval. The experiments must be set out in accordance to GMAC (Threat or Glory,101 ).
It can be assumed that the laboratory rabbits used in any experiments are being treated in accordance to GMAC guidelines. Spokespersons for the CSIRO have stated that they are committed to developing controls that are humane and consider immnocontraception to be such. Animal welfare groups are concerned about any control that will inflict unnecessary pain in an animal and the CRC have received no resistance from welfare rights groups but in fact have received support.
For a long time, our connection with the natural world was one of deep social, personal and spiritual significance, as societies developed and became 'civilised' this relationship changed dramatically. The Greek intellectuals were perhaps one of the first to begin to order nature. "The Great Chain of Being", where God was invariably the highest, followed by the angels, humans then animals then plants were hierarchical ordered with inanimate objects being considered to lowest form of being. Christianity fostered anthroprocentrism and it has since been the dominant way of relating to the natural environment in the western cultures, where human needs are placed first and nature being used for our benefit only.
What is our relationship with nature and wild animals now? Science in the past few centuries has given non-human life little value, regarding it as objects to be used, understood and changed for our own purposes and everything became describable in quantitative terms.
As the environmental and ethical minority groups become larger and their message is spread, people are becoming increasingly aware of humans impact on the earth. At the same time our science and technology is developing at a exponential rate which gives us more to be concerned about as biotechnology and genetic manipulation effect in our daily lives.
If we were to allow the elimination of a species in a particular environment, the question is now posed, how do we justify radical scientific interventions to be the benign killer, one that interferes in the life cycle of an animal itself? Genetic engineering may be percieved to be one further step to subduing nature, reshaping it and directing it towards our needs.
Does the wild animal or the natural environment have priority in a case where their interests conflict?
Animal welfare groups argue against genetic manipulation on the moral judgement that it is wrong to cause unnecessary pain and suffering to creatures. Concern for Animal rights is often accused of being a mere extension of anthropocentricism as the animals that they are concerned about are those that have human qualities, ie intelligent, cute and cuddles, as they arouse a positive emotion in us. For the argument it is important to know that animal ethics ascribes rights to animal as individuals. If this is so, and the rabbit in Australia has individual rights, humans violate that right when trying to eradicate or control their population. At this point it is also useful to note, although it is obvious, that the regard for the well being of an animal is not always consistent for the greater whole. This can be clearly illustrated in Australia, If we respected an animals right to live and to be killed without anxiety, it would be extremely detrimental to the land and to native fauna and flora.
Spokespersons for the CSIRO have stated that they are committed to developing controls that are humane and consider immunocontraception to be such. Animal welfare groups are concerned about any control that will inflict unnecessary pain in an animal and the CRC have received no resistance from welfare rights groups but have received support.
For a myxoma strain to be efficiently transmitted, it needs to be highly infectious and relatively slow killing ie 25 days to allow exposure to the vectors. So the perfect strain of myxoma is one that produces a slow death, this does not appear constant with a humane and painless death.
Scientist do not know exactly how the myxoma virus kills rabbits, but like AIDS, the virus is immunosuppressive and many rabbits die from secondary diseases. A bacteria that grows on the rabbits eyes is the most common indicator that the rabbit is infected with the virus.
Deep Ecology and other eco-ideologies emphasises the intrinsic interconnectedness of reality and nature as a whole. In this philosophy the whole overrides the interests of the individual. The focus is on maintaining a balance and equilibrium in the environment. It takes a holistic approach and an animals value is measured by its contribution and function in the ecosystem. This view implies we have the right to control or eradicate a species that is imbalance with the whole, and clearly the rabbit falls into such a category.
According to deep ecologists, it may be ethical to eradicate a species in one ecosystem and not from a neighbouring one. This ethics falls a bit short where viruses are concerned as they know no moral boundaries.
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