Controlling the bugs

In late 1984, the Reagan administration proposed a Coordinated Framework for Regulation of Biotechnology. Its proposed regulatory approach appears less constraining than the deep concerns of the 1970s concerning the risk of biotechnology would have suggested. Several distinctive characteristics of the early period of biotechnology, particularly the role of the research community in developing the initial regulatory system and the extent of federal funding, explain this development. The administration’s proposal may attract substantial support. However, implementation may lead to conflicts and problems, especially concerning human germ-line gene therapy and environmental release of viable genetically engineered organisms.