L6 Assignment: GMO Position Paper

Riley Andreasen
GO for GMOs!

A GMO is a genetically modified organism. This typically refers to various crops that

have been modified to be bigger, more nutritious, or grow faster. The modern usage of GMOs

was created to help agriculturists sustainably feed a growing population with nutritious food

(Oliver, 2014). For hundreds and thousands of years, people have been selectively breeding

crops to be bigger and healthier. When agriculture was first developed and crops were

domesticated, the people farming them would pull out the weaker plants and raise the healthier

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ones. This led to a genetic modification of the gene pool through this selective breeding. For

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several past decades, farmers have also used radiation and chemicals to try to cause helpful

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mutations in the plants’ genomes (Brody, 2018). Today, a few known genes from another
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organism are genetically engineered and introduced to the target plant’s genome to produce a

beneficial effect on the targeted plant (Brody, 2018). This method produces what are now
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referred to as GMOs and they are highly controversial and debated. GMOs should be used today
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as they have no proven risks, are necessary to feed the growing population, and are a better
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choice for the environment.

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The use and development of GMOs have many positive impacts on human health and the
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environment. While it is impossible to say that a certain food does absolutely no damage, GMOs
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have not been proven to be harmful to the human body but have been proven to be nutritiously

beneficial. GMOs have existed for decades and no adverse effects have been found by opponents
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of the technology (Brody, 2018). GMOs are also endorsed by the American Medical Association,

the National Academy of Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science,

and the World Health Organization (Brody, 2018). Considering that there have already been long

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 L6 Assignment: GMO Position Paper

Riley Andreasen
and short-term scientific evaluations of the effects of GMOs and no adverse effects have come to

light, one could safely say there are few, if any, negative effects of GMO usage. Concurrently,

while they remain assumably risk-free, GMOs provide more nutritional value and have a higher

yield than their organic counterparts. According to a 21-year study performed on GMO corn and

its natural counterpart, the GMO corn had a higher yield and a lower amount of toxins

(Pellegrino, 2018). Having more crops produced in the same amount of land would increase the

supply and potentially eliminate food-insecurity if used on a large scale. The short-term effects

of this could be used to prevent starvation worldwide, saving a countless number of people from

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malnutrition and/or death. The long-term effects of this might include a world where the basic,

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essential foods could be purchased at low to no cost. Alternatively, GMOs are better for the

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environment. As certain farmed crops are genetically modified, they use less water, fertilizer, and
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pesticides (Oliver, 2014). Using less fertilizer and pesticides reduces runoff from the farms that
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can damage natural bodies of water, soil, and animals. By modifying these crops and reducing
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chemical usage, GMOs provide short and long term positive effects for the environment and

people. GMOs have more nutritional value, produce more, and use less chemicals than their
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organic alternatives.
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Opponents of GMOs fear that the consumption of genetically modified foods could lead
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to an allergic reaction, cancer, and antibacterial resistance. Opponents of GMOs argue that
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consumers may have an allergic reaction to the modified gene (Medical News Today, 2019). If

the gene was from a fish, for instance, and was transmitted into a strawberry, someone might
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have an accidental allergic reaction to consuming the strawberry. The World Health

Organization, however, is discouraging scientists from transferring a gene unless they are sure

which gene is responsible for allergic reactions and trying to regulate GMOs on a worldwide

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 L6 Assignment: GMO Position Paper

Riley Andreasen
scale (World Health Organization, 2014). These combined efforts make the risk of an allergic

reaction slim. Likewise, opponents also argue that GMOs could cause cancer (Medical News

Today, 2019). They argue that, as GMOs introduce new genes into the human body, they could

lead to mutations in human cells which lead to cancer. While it is impossible to prove safety,

there has been no evidence of harm of GMOs causing cancer (American Cancer Society, 2019).

Until proven otherwise, claims that GMOs cause cancer are unfounded and should not be a

reason to prohibit GMOs. Finally, the largest concern is that GMOs could lead to antibiotic

resistance (Medical News Today, 2019). However, there is limited proof of this occurring from

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GMOs. The risk of gene transfer is low and guidelines are in place to regulate and prevent

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GMOs’ contribution to antibiotic resistance (World Health Organization, 2019). Overall, the

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primary concerns regarding GMOs have had no scientific backing and should not be seriously
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considered until proven.
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I personally am for GMOs and absolutely agree with the position assigned. I recommend
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GMOs because of their increased nutritional value and the decreased use of pesticides/chemicals.

GMOs also produce more crops which could help the food insecurity in the world today. I found
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GMOs using less pesticides to be the most convincing as opponents believe GMOs are full of

chemicals and harmful to the environment. In actuality, they are beneficial and decrease the
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amount of chemicals farmers use.

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Sources
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American Cancer Society. (2019, June 9). Common Questions About Diet, Activity, and Cancer

Risk. Retrieved October 28, 2020, from

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 L6 Assignment: GMO Position Paper

Riley Andreasen
https://www.cancer.org/healthy/eat-healthy-get-active/acs-guidelines-nutrition-physical-a

ctivity-cancer-prevention/common-questions.html

Brody, J. (2018, April 23). Are G.M.O. Foods Safe? Retrieved October 28, 2020, from

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/23/well/eat/are-gmo-foods-safe.html

Medical News Today. (2019, February 27). Pros and cons of GMO foods: Health and

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environment. Retrieved October 28, 2020, from

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https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324576

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Oliver, M. (2014, November/December). Why we need GMO crops in agriculture. Retrieved
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October 28, 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6173531/
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Pellegrino, E., Bedini, S., Nuti, M., & Ercoli, L. (2018, February 15). Impact of genetically

engineered maize on agronomic, environmental and toxicological traits: A meta-analysis

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of 21 years of field data. Retrieved October 28, 2020, from

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https://www.santannapisa.it/sites/default/files/pellegrino_et_al.2018.pdf
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World Health Organization. (2017, February 15). Frequently asked questions on genetically
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modified foods. Retrieved October 28, 2020, from

https://www.who.int/foodsafety/areas_work/food-technology/faq-genetically-modified-fo

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 L6 Assignment: GMO Position Paper

Riley Andreasen
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