750 million genetically engineered mosquitoes approved for release in Florida Keys

[NNadir]

17. I recently attended a lecture by Nobel Laureate Richard Roberts on the subject of fear...

...of genetic modifications.

Dr. Roberts has worked tirelessly to fight anti-GMO ignorance, and was responsible for organizing the signing of this famous letter:

107 Nobel laureates sign letter blasting Greenpeace over GMOs

Zika, Dengue and Yellow Fever are deadly diseases.

The people raising these objections are clearly not scientists, and they are not qualified to object to saving human lives, any more than the people at Greenpeace are entitled to let children go blind because they know no science and object to Golden Rice.

Here is the biography, from the CTA website of Jaydee Hanson, the spokesperson carrying on about this:

Jaydee Hanson directs the CTA’s work on human genetics, including work on stem cell research, cloning, and gene/embryo patenting. He also works on the convergence of biotechnology and nanotechnology.Prior to coming to CTA in 2004,he served as The United Methodist Church’s staff director of genetics and bioethics issues from 1981 to 2004. From 1991 to 2004, he also was the legislative director for the church. Mr. Hanson has testified to many state and US congressional hearings on human cloning, animal and gene patenting, and related issues. He coordinated the 1995 religious leaders’ statement opposing gene and animal patenting, which was endorsed by over 200 leaders from every US religious tradition. Hanson has served on many committees related to public policy and genetics. He chaired the National Council of Churches’ Exploratory Commission on the New Human Genetics and chaired the National Council of Churches’ Eco-justice Working Group biotechnology taskforce. He is a member of the World Council of Churches’ genetics and nanotechnology committees, which developed new policy for that world-wide body of 400 denominations. He served on the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Science and Religion Advisory Committee and the Ecumenical Roundtable on Science and Religion. He is a fellow of the Institute on Biotechnology and the Human Future.

http://www.icta.org/our-staff/

If some baby is born with microcephaly because of Zika, this asshole isn't going to do a damn thing to help the family suffering as a result.

There is no evidence that this person has ever taken a course in genetics, never mind worked on genes in any way. He is, as far as I can tell, an ignoramus holding forth on a subject about which he knows nothing other than that he hates this science on a gut basis.

As a scientist, I note that whenever religious figures start sticking their incompetent noses in scientific issues, going all the way back to Galileo, the result is usually tragedy..

I don't want religious leaders telling women what to do with their bodies, or telling children that is against their religion to be vaccinated or any such thing.

Anti-GMO stuff is the moral and ethical equivalent of creationism.

Genetic engineering saves lives. Most protein drugs are created by gene insertion, including those that cure serious cancers.

Recently a genetic engineering drug was approved by the FDA, whereby insertion of a gene in a living human being allows blind people to see.

To hell with this priest and the two attorneys who make up the staff of this ignorance factory.