March 27, 2000 / The Associated Press / STEVE LEBLANC
BOSTON -- Four protesters were, according to these stories, arrested Monday
outside the nation's largest biotechnology conference, marring otherwise
orderly demonstrations against genetically engineered crops.
Police had prepared for the demonstrations weeks in advance of the BIO 2000
conference, where 8,000 scientists, researchers and CEOs were expected to
gather for five days of meetings that began Sunday.
The stories say that in Monday's demonstration, four men overturned six
five-gallon containers of what they claimed were genetically altered
soybeans in the entranceway of the Hynes Convention Center, creating a
"hazardous condition," according to police. They were charged with
disorderly conduct.
Later Monday, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy was cited as saying genetic engineering
can dramatically improve people's lives, adding, "We want to work with you
to make sure we are going to have decisions and judgments based on science.
Too often when decisions are being made, they are based on philosophy or
ideology."
Outside, Elisabeth Disterhoft, a 19-year-old student from Bard College in
New York , dressed as a butterfly and handing organic apples to passers-by,
was quoted as saying, "The American people need to know what they are eating
and have a say in what they are eating. We have no right to go into Mother
Nature and mess with this stuff just because we can. The technology is going
way ahead of the ethics."
(posted without permission)
