ETHICS IN PRACTICE CASE
Are Plants and Flowers Stakeholders? Do They Have Rights?
Scientists in Switzerland for years have created geneti-cally modified produce, such as rice, corn, and apples. In fact, the question has been raised as to whether they ever stopped to think that their experiments may be “humiliating” to plants. A recently passed constitu-tional rule came into existence after the Swiss Parlia-ment asked a panel of philosophers, geneticists, theologians, and lawyers to establish the “meaning” of a flora’s dignity. The panel wrote a lengthy treatise on the “moral consideration of plants for their own sake.” The document argued that vegetation has an inherent value and that it is immoral to harm plants arbitrarily. One example of this would be the “decapitation of wild-flowers at the roadside without any apparent reason.” Defenders of the new law state that it reflects a broader, progressive effort to protect the sanctity of liv-ing things and promote sustainability. Switzerland also granted new rights to all “social animals.” For example, prospective dog owners now have to take a four-hour course on pet care before they can acquire a dog. Anglers now have to learn how to catch fish humanely. Goldfish can no longer be flushed down the toilet as a means of disposal. First, they must be anesthetized with special chemicals. One Swiss scientist recently
exclaimed, “Where does it stop? Should we now defend the dignity of microbes and viruses?” In a related deci-sion, the people of Ecuador passed a new constitution that is said to be the first to recognize ecosystem rights enforceable in a court of law. Now, the nation’s rivers, forests, and air are right-bearing entities with “the right to exist, persist, and regenerate.” One nonprofit organization that has formed to support this point of view is “Fair Flowers Fair Plants,” an inde-pendent foundation representing international stake-holders in the flower industry striving for social and environmental standards.
1. Are plants stakeholders? Are they primary or sec-ondary stakeholders? Do flora have rights? What about dogs and goldfish? 2. Are the Swiss and Ecuadorian decisions too extreme? What are the limits of stakeholders’ rights? Is this taking sustainability too far or pushing the idea to unrealistic limits? 3. What are the implications for business decisions of the Swiss and Ecuadorian decisions? Are these unique to these countries and won’t apply elsewhere?
Sources: “Swiss Government Issues Bill of Rights for Plants,” Accessed March 31, 2016; “Do Animals (and Plants) Have Rights? The Ethics of Food,
