To begin with, science and technology have changed our world dramatically, and, for the most part, we take them in our stride.
Genetic engineering is a relatively new technology riddled with questions and the arguments for and against are difficult to weight because it’s hard to know the risks until something goes wrong.
My own believe is that genetic engineering is the inevitable wave of the future and that we can not afford to ignore a technology that has such enormous potential benefits.
What is more, just recall that food output will need to at least double and possibly triple over the next several decades. If not people are going to starve … will it be my family or yours? If properly developed, disseminated, and used, genetically modified crops might well be the best hope the planet has got.
However, critics fear that this so called “Frankenstein food” could have unforeseen adverse health effects on consumers.
In addition, they also claim that with transgenetic technology, scientists are transferring genes not just across species but even across kingdoms, inserting animals’ genes into plants. This produces genotypes that could never exist in nature.
Furthermore, some ethical and even religious arguments have been invoked, such as the lawfulness of “playing God”.
Nevertheless, GMO have been on the market for more than two decades, so if all GMO were on immediate health threat, we would know it by now!
Following this, GMO may not be natural, but not everything unnatural is bad for us.
For example, poisonous mushrooms are natural but we shouldn’t eat them. Washing our food before eating is not natural but it is healthier.
What is more, the fact is genetic engineering is a modern form of plant breeding which is technology humans have used since the beginning of time.
Man has always tried to improve on what currently is. Our modern advancements in science just allow us now to do it more precisely and controlled.
In conclusion,