Just Because WE CAN Genetically Engineer Foods, Doesn’t Mean We Should

This is a fantastic article by Beth Hoffman about GMO’s (genetically modified organisms) and the trust factor that goes along with it.  She eloquently points out, like the title states, “just because science can genetically engineer foods, it doesn’t mean we should”.  Here’s a snippet…

“Recently the debate over genetically modified (GMO) foods has heated up again.  In just the past few weeks, articles about GMOs have appeared in Slate, the New York Times, and Grist.  And over the weekend New York Times writer Amy Harmon wrote again of the saving graces of genetically engineered foods, this time citing “Golden Rice” as a clear example of the life saving abilities of GMOs.

Yet journalists on both sides of the argument seem to have forgotten there are many ways aside from “ science” to describe the world around us, and that there are other highly effective tools out there to solve hunger and malnutrition besides genetic engineering.

Let me be clear – I am not “afraid of science,” a claim that someone invariably writes at the end of an article like this one to try and discredit its argument.  I, like millions of people around the world, am against genetic engineering, but not because of the proven or refuted science behind it.

So the question is why?  Why am I part of a huge, and growing, group not willing to believe the “facts” (according to its proponents) about the benefits of genetic modification?  Why am I against the creation of Golden Rice, even if it may stop millions of children from going blind?

The basic answer is simple: trust.

For more please go to:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/bethhoffman/2013/08/26/why-genetically-modifying-food-is-a-bad-idea/