By Lisa Seachrist

Washington Editor

WASHINGTON — Stating that "science has no soul of its own," President Clinton raised concerns Sunday about genetic privacy and ethical scientific practices to the graduating class at Morgan State University, in Baltimore.

While laying down a national challenge to develop an AIDS vaccine, the president called for legislation to protect against discrimination on the basis of genetic information and also called for "the application of ethical and moral principles" to the use of scientific discoveries.

While the address marked the first time the president weighed in on genetic discrimination, the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) took issue with several of the president's comments.

"The speech was well balanced. But his more dramatic words were reserved for the negative ethical issues," said BIO President Carl Feldbaum. "By saying that science has no soul of its own, the president only instills an exaggerated fear of science, genetics and biotechnology in the minds of many Americans."

In his speech, the president recounted the history of genetic discrimination based upon sickle cell carrier status. In the 1970's, with the advent of screening for sickle cell anemia, insurance companies denied health coverage and employers denied jobs to African Americans who were identified as sickle cell carriers.

"No insurer should be able to use genetic data to underwrite or discriminate against any American seeking health coverage," the president said in his address. "To that end, I urge Congress to pass bipartisan legislation to prohibit insurance companies from using genetic screening information to determine the premium rates or the eligibility of Americans for health insurance."

Feldbaum noted that while the president is correct that genetic information has been used to discriminate, the president "unnecessarily stigmatizes genetic information, when virtually all medical information needs to be safeguarded."

Feldbaum went on to point out that the information contained in a cholesterol test can be used to discriminate. In addition, Feldbaum noted that the president focused only on insurance discrimination, when discrimination based on medical information may occur in the workplace and in education as well.

"We fully support any legislation that would protect people from discrimination based upon medical information that would include genetic information," Feldbaum said. "Isolating genetic information from medical information stigmatizes it and doesn't address potential problems."

Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) has introduced a bill titled the Genetic Confidentiality and Nondiscrimination Act that addresses solely genetic information. While BIO has yet to take a position on the bill, Feldbaum said his organization "has been working with Sen. Domenici's staff to expand protection in the bill to include all medical information."

The president's remarks on ethics, however, raised the most concern from Feldbaum. In his remarks, the president said, "Science often moves faster than our ability to understand its implications, leaving a maze of moral and ethical questions in its wake."

In the wake of the sheep-clone, Dolly, Feldbaum has stated that scientists and industry have a responsibility to actively engage in discussions of the moral and ethical implications of their work. Feldbaum told BioWorld Today that "there is no way this industry can proceed without addressing the deeply felt ethical concern of the American public."

Feldbaum pointed out that BIO has actively participated in ethical discussion surrounding biotechnology. A BIO member sits on the president's National Bioethics Advisory Commission, which is currently working on recommendations about the ethics of cloning research. And the organization has a series of presentations on bioethics every year at its annual meeting.

"I think that his comments left the impression and somewhat inferred that scientists are not concerned about the ethical implications of their work, and that simply isn't true," Feldbaum said. "People need to know that we are seriously considering the implications of biotechnology, not only for science, but for society as well." *