Genetically modified organisms are mm … mm … good
A student at Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, PA wrote the following article on genetically modified organisms. The author, Yusha Hu, appears to be in favor of the technology, even though she’s about how it works. I am happy to see college students engaged in this issue. Read the full article below.
C.S. Prakash
Genetically modified organisms are mm … mm … good
The Phoenix
March 6, 2008
If you didn’t read the Phoenix two weeks ago or, much more likely, have completely forgotten anything I said, here is a flashback. Last time, I wrote that there is no ethical or practical basis for categorically rejecting genetic engineering. But in the fight against genetically modified organisms, there are two main positions – being categorically against genetic engineering and being specifically against the application of genetic engineering to agriculture. This week, I’m going to address that second position.
Any basis for this opinion must stem from a practical argument, not a moral one. Genetic engineering is responsible for most of the drugs you take when you’re sick, the gene therapy your uncle is undergoing and maybe even the extra-awesome yeast that fermented your wine. If you accept the benefits of GMO use in areas that directly affect your life, as the vast majority of people do, then it is hypocritical to make a moral argument against genetic engineering specifically when it is applied to agriculture. And as I established last time, there is simply no ethical basis for rejecting genetic engineering in all these aspects of your life. If you do, you’d have to be even more hardcore than the scientologists and probably be living in the woods somewhere, in which case, I doubt you’d get your hands on a copy of the Phoenix.
For a pragmatic analysis of GM crops, we need to explore this case-by-case, simply because different GMO’s offer different benefits and, to a certain extent, different costs. Let’s start with golden rice, a pretty classic case of genetic engineering coming to the rescue. It’s enriched with vitamin A so as to prevent blindness and decrease mortality due to vitamin A deficiencies. It’s free of patents and ready for distribution to impoverished farmers worldwide as a permanent substitute for planting normal rice.
Two GMOs that are already in heavy rotation in the United States are pest-resistant and herbicide-resistant corn. Despite common misconceptions, both of these GMO’s have actually resulted in a significant reduction in herbicide and pesticide use. Pest-resistant corn produces its own species-specific pesticide so that farmers don’t have to spray any. Bugs are also killed somewhat more selectively, leaving untargeted insects alive and well. Herbicide-resistant varieties prevent the need to repeatedly spray a field with several specialized herbicides in order to leave the actual crop untargeted, reducing total herbicide use.
