Gmo's Ethical Dilemmas

In December 2014, a Harvard professor wrote an article outlining the many benefits of GMOs (genetically modified organisms) and why it is a good idea to use them. This professor is now surrounded by controversy because he failed to note his connection to the largest producer of GM seeds, Monsanto, who not only told him to write the article but also gave him the major points he was to address. Why was this such a huge deal, and why did Monsanto want a pro-GMO article out there so badly? The GMO debate is largely controversial, but largely misunderstood because of the misinformation given by biased writers, such as John Hibma, a nutritionist and author who wrote the article “More Pros Than Cons.” What many people do not realize is that genetic modification is a serious issue and that articles like Hibma’s fail to disclose the truth about the numerous health, crop, and environmental concerns surrounding GMOs.

GMO stands for genetically modified organism. It is a organism that has had changes introduced into its DNA by using techniques of genetic engineering. Genetically modified (GM) foods are foods that are produced by this method. Genetically modified crops were first introduced to the marketplace in the 1990s. Various different companies started emerging and began to grow many different modified crops including tomatoes and corn. Livestock is fed GM feed, and recently a genetically modified salmon was approved for human consumption. Our society and other nations should limit the consumption of GM foods until their safety can be proven and their disadvantages are corrected.

Upwards of 75% of food grown in the United States is genetically modified. Meaning that there DNA has been changed to help a specific purpose. There has been a lot of controversy over GMO production. In Europe, GMOs have heavy restrictions or outright bans depending on the country; as of October 3rd, 19 countries have out right banned the cultivation of GMO products. GMO productions should have stricter restrictions with the U.S. government because the health consequences are largely unknown, GMO products are unlabeled and they pose a threat to farmers in their fight against large companies.

The world we live in today is in no doubt constantly changing all thanks to the technological and scientific advancements. These advancements are what have led to the birth of molecular genetics which is the genesis of improvements in the field of agriculture. Food is a very crucial part of human survival, and while it may be abundant in many developed countries, the same cannot be said about the developing countries. A 2015 report by FAO on the state of food insecurity sates that there are about 795 million people sleeping hungry because of shortage of food with the vast majority coming from developing countries (2015, FAO). The rise of genetically modified food in the recent years however has helped to provide a solution to some of these food shortage problems. Generally genetically modified foods otherwise known as GMO foods are foods that result from crops whose genetic makeup have been modified or altered. This happens through a process that’s referred to as recombinant DNA that serves to give plants traits that are desirable with the use of molecular techniques. Some of the most bioengineered foods include tomatoes, corn, cotton, rice, papaya, wheat among others. While it has had many benefits and successes, GM foods still have risks and the question of safety always arises when it comes to discussions.

Nobel Prize winner Norman Borlaug pushed the boundaries of conventional farming through biotechnology. He bred crops with desirable characteristics to manipulate the DNA. He is credited for saving billions of lives. This proves that a genetically modified crop or organism can be safe and can help conquer world hunger. This leads into how U.N. agencies discuss hunger crisis. “Essentially, biotechnology improves the characteristics and requirements of food crops through manipulation of plant DNA [deoxyribonucleic acid], or genetic engineering, creating a GMO. Such plants have better insect resistance and herbicide tolerance, and the sustainability of cultivation is increased by minimizing use of pesticides and fertilizers” (Weisser). This can change how we protect crops without using pesticides. Still scientist all over the world are looking for many ways to help world hunger. GMO’s are one of those ways. They are not as bad as people see them. One day GMO’s will save the

GMOs continue to be a hot topic of debate. So it makes sense to ask; would climate change accelerate if GMOs were banned in the U.S.?

In most food markets in the United States, a majority of the food sold in those markets are GMOs. Food that has been genetically engineered to obtain traits that are unnatural to said organism. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there are two types of plant breeding: the traditional method and the genetic engineering method ( Nodoushani, et al 2015). The FDA believes that the main difference between the two methods of plant breeding is that the traditional method can yield unwanted effects, while the genetically engineered process can control the effects and alter them to our needs which are identified as Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO). Nevertheless there are opposers against GMOs that believe that GMOs are unethical

The conflict of GMOs has changed a little over time but not as dramatically as some of the public believes. The amount of GMO crops has increased substantially, as well as the profit from the crops. But the overall conflict, the views on the issue the measures to stop or change GMOs has gone almost nowhere. (Ballotpedia) The conflict has always been about the same issue and the solutions have always been along the same premise. To stop using GMOs as a food source, or recently to make non-GMO products labeled. The only thing that has changed is the companies that control the GMOs have grown considerably since the controversy has started. (disabled-world) (Food Democracy)

For the last several decades, the world has been plagued by widespread starvation and poverty. Economies are failing in numerous countries, and developing nations struggle to feed their inhabitants. As a result of the world’s mounting overpopulation, food has become scarce and resources are rapidly dwindling. However, modern science has provided a solution: agricultural biotechnology. Genetically engineered crops represent the bright future of agriculture. Crops like cotton, corn, and soybeans can have genes inserted or deleted into their cell membranes; this modification facilitates pest and virus resistance, drought tolerance, and even provides nutritional enhancement. Genetically altered crops produce much higher

Individuals with severe allergies need to be informed if the genetically modified food appears to be something they can eat without going into anaphylactic shock, is actually injected with a gene that can cause them an allergic reaction or death (GEF). This alone demonstrates a need for further testing requirements and labeling laws. The fact that labeling is not required on these products seems inhumane, as consumers have a right to know all ingredients in the food they are purchasing. If processed foods require labeling, then GMOs should be required to label as well. This puts a sense of suspicion and doubt over the GMO products, because if the safety is not compromised.

Science has been a prevalent topic over the course of history. Moreover, as scientific research continues to develop it sometimes is contradictory towards the humanities. Similarly, the focus on genetically modified organisms (GMO) have been fundamental in highlighting the difference between science and the humanities. Consequently, this paper will emphasize the ethics of genetically modified organisms and the basic ethical concepts and theories necessary for reflecting upon moral beliefs using scholarly resources that underline that if people are aware of genetically modified organism they will tend to disregard GMOs.

al). GMOs able to be used in a variety of different facets of agriculture and can be of great benefit to fight world hunger and malnutrition, as well as help sustain our environment. Anna-Karin Kolseth, Tina D’Hertefeldt, Maren Emmerich, Flavio Forabosco, Stefan Marklund, Tanya E. Cheeke, Sara Hallin, and Martin Weih authored an article titled "Influence of Genetically Modified Organisms on Agro-ecosystem Processes” for the 2015 edition of Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment. In said article, the authors explain that with the current problems of loss of biodiversity and limited arable lands, biotech crops contribute to a sustainable intensification strategy that allows productivity to be increased on the current 1.5 billion hectares of global crop land. Therefore, forests and biodiversity are able to be preserved. As with conventional crops, the technology also should be used together with proper farming practices such as rotations and resistance management (Kolseth).

Food is a vital component to life and unfortunately not everyone has access to it. This is a serious world issue that is true and sad. People all over the world are suffering from starvation and malnutrition. People, including children and families, have to worry when their next meal is and worry whether insects have feasted on their meal. Furthermore, they have to worry about the rain and whether or not it is ever going to come and water their crops. Children and families have to be constantly worried about their next meal. However, despite all this, there can be a solution to this tragedy and that solution is genetically engineered foods or GMOs. GMOs, or in other words, genetically modified organisms have give many advantages to the

For decades, scientists have been discovering new methods of producing food for the population. One of these methods is genetically engineering food. Though genetically modified food is consumed by the majority of the American population, one must wonder, what are the ethics of it? How will it affect the consumer and the environment? Based on prior knowledge of this topic, I know that scientists change the genetic makeup of certain foods. I also know that different genes are inserted into different organisms.

For hundreds of years, we as a species have been growing crops and cross pollenating crops to create new gene types to feed millions of people in the world. With the population soaring in the 20th Century resources will be exploited and the amount of food available will not meet the standards of many individuals (Connor et al., 2003; Phipps and Park, 2002). Crop growers are facing challenges in terms of finding productive lands, growing nutritional crops, and finding an alternative to reducing pesticide usage (Phipps and Park, 2002). Scientists and crop growers are looking into GMO technology to help with the ongoing challenges they are currently facing (Phipps and Park, 2002).