Commercialization, patents and moral assessment of biotechnology products

The biotechnology patent debates have revealed deep moral concerns about ba sic genetics research, R&D and specific biotechnological products, concerns that are seldom taken into consideration in Technology Assessment. In this paper important moral concerns are examined which appear at the various st ages of development of a specific genetic product: a predictive genetic tes t. The purpose is to illustrate the need for a more contextual approach in technology assessment, which integrates the various forms of interaction be tween bio-technology and society or societal segments. Such an approach wil l generate greater insight in the moral issues at all stages of a product's life-cycle and this will facilitate decision-making on the 'morality' of a specific biotechnological product.