  (ASCII text format)  The following was provided by Claire
Ince, Communications Assistant, Women's Environment and
Development Organization ( and is reprinted here with
permission.  Vandana Shiva's Response to Jimmy Carter's August
28, 1998 New York Times Corporation's article, "Who's Afraid of
Genetic Engineering?"  from Diverse Women for Diversity  Who Is
Afraid Of Biosafety?  A comment by Dr. Vandana Shiva  Biosafety
is ecological safety in the Biotechnology age. It refers to the
risks of "biological pollution" posed by genetically engineered
organisms. The biotech industry is afraid of biosafety because
it creates a responsibility system that ensures that in the case
of biological pollution as in other forms of pollution, it
should be the polluter who should pay. The industry has tried
all means to deny citizens their right to biosafety. First, it
forced President Bush to not sign the Convention on Biological
Diversity in Rio in 1992. The convention has 168 countries as
its members, but the U.S. is not a