National Biotechnology Week

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Part III

The President

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Proclamation 7438--National Biotechnology Week

Proclamation 7439--National Defense Transportation Day and National
Transportation Week, 2001

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 7438 of May 16, 2001

National Biotechnology Week

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

For thousands of years, man has been utilizing and
modifying biological processes to improve man's quality
of life. Scientific advances have enabled biotechnology
to play an increasingly large role in the development
of new products that enhance all areas of our lives.

In the battle against disease, our ever-increasing
knowledge of cellular and genetic processes continues
to improve the quality of our health care.
Biotechnology has contributed to the development of
vaccines, antibiotics, and other drugs that have saved
or prolonged the lives of millions of people. Insulin,
which is vital in the treatment of diabetes, can now be
produced inexpensively and in large quantities through
the use of genetically engineered bacteria. In
addition, exciting gains in the understanding of the
human body's genetic code show significant promise in
finding treatments and eventually a cure for many
diseases. This technology is now central to the
research being conducted on diseases such as cancer,
diabetes, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, heart and lung
disease, Alzheimer's disease, and Acquired Immune
Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

Consumers enjoy continual improvements to the quality
and quantity of our Nation's food supply. Genetic
engineering will enable farmers to modify crops so that
they will grow on land that was previously considered
infertile. In addition, it will enable farmers to grow
produce with enhanced nutritional value. We also are
benefiting from crops that resist plant diseases and
insects, thus reducing the use of pesticides.

The environmental benefits of biotechnology can be
realized through the increased ability of manufacturers
to produce their products with less energy, pollution,
and waste. In addition, the development of new
biotechnology promises to improve our ability to clean
up toxic substances from soil and water and improve
waste management techniques.

Our Nation stands as a global leader in research and
development, in large part because of our successes in
understanding and utilizing the biological processes of
life. The field of biotechnology is important to the
quality of our lives, the protection of our
environment, and the strength of our economy. We must
continue to be leaders in the pursuit of knowledge and
technology, and we must be vigilant to ensure that new
technologies are regulated and used responsibly towards
achieving noble goals.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United
States, do hereby proclaim May 13 through May 19, 2001,
as National Biotechnology Week. I call upon the people
of the United States to observe this week with
appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
sixteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord two
thousand one, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and twenty-fifth.

(Presidential Sig.)B