The ethics of genetically modified organisms (“GMOs”) has become a hot topic for controversy in our nation and now the whole world. GMOs and genetically modified foods (“GM foods”) are issues that many people will either love, or completely be against. Many people, however, are unaware of the effects that these alterations can have on our planet. A large amount of the population is also ignorant to how GMOs and GM foods can affect our bodies and health.

A genetically modified organism is an organism that has been genetically altered using genetic engineering. Some of the organisms that are usually genetically modified include bacteria and yeast, insects, plants, fish, and mammals. There are many different motives for creating GMOs, one being for biological and pharmaceutical research. Another highly sought after reason for genetically modifying an organism is to get desirable traits from said organism. This can be anything from altering a crop to increase its resistance to certain pathogens or to make the growth time of that crop quicker.

Humans first started genetically modifying foods/organisms in about 12,000 BC, but it wasn’t until 1976 when the technology was commercialized so companies could produce and sell their own GMOs. The earliest field trial of genetically altered plants was in 1986, when the United States and France engineered tobacco plants to be resistant to herbicides (weed killers). Another historic case of a GM food was the “Flavr Savr” tomato, produced by the company Calgene in 1992. It made history as the first commercially grown genetically engineered food to be granted a license for human consumption. The “Flavr Savr” was a tomato that had been genetically altered to slow the ripening process of the tomato and by doing so, prevent it from softening so it would have a longer shelf life than the average tomato. It proved to be a bust, however, because its production was halted just two years later as mounting costs prevented the company from being profitable.

There are many techniques to genetically modify an organism. Some of these techniques include gene splicing, microinjection, and viral carriers. Gene splicing is a process where a gene is cut from one organism and then inserted into the DNA of another organism. The process of gene splicing is done to transfer desired characteristics of one organism to the other. Another way to engineer a GMO is through microinjection, a process where selected DNA is injected into a fertilized female egg cell through a glass capillary tube (an extremely thin device). The modified egg is then transplanted into a female and allowed into the desired organism.

Genetically modified organisms are things that humans have begun to experiment with more and more, and a lot of people are not happy about it. In the United States, GMOs are not frowned upon by the government, much unlike other nations around the globe. The FDA states that there is no observed difference between a GMO (or GM food) and its natural counterpart. Many other nations disagree with this, and have therefore banned GMOs from being sold to the public.


My Opinion


Before I conducted my research on genetically modified foods and organisms, I felt that is was unethical and wrong to genetically modify anything. Now I feel this even more so, after learning what I did. Genetically modifying foods could be potentially harmful to humans. I believe that we haven’t conducted enough research on the effects of consuming these altered foods and organisms, so we aren’t fully aware of the harm they could have on our bodies. The main focus on GMOs and GM foods has been achieving a larger profit margin rather than the health of the people consuming them.


While I believe we shouldn’t alter food and organisms genetically, they can also be a good thing. If we could alter a crop so it is resistant to a certain pathogen that is making it unable to produce, then I think its okay to genetically modify it to produce more. But if alterations are being made just to produce bigger and better crops/organisms then they shouldn’t be made. Personally, I am suspicious of big corporations that say they alter foods for the better health of the people. At this point, I am unaware of their true intentions and whether or not they truly want to make foods better to consume or just gain profit from bigger amounts of crops. The latter could very well be true, but if GM food producers truly mean what they say then we could change the quality of life in impoverished nations and help many others.

Current Status


In 2013, GMOs and GM foods are a large controversial issue. The federal government in America argues that these modified foods are safe to consume for humans. Others, however, say that anything unnatural or modified by mankind is harmful to put in our bodies, and therefore are against GMOs. It has been recorded that ever since GMOs were introduced in 1996, numerous health problems have skyrocketed. Some of these issues include food allergies and more cases of autism, reproductive diseases, and digestive problems than ever that have been linked with the consumption of genetically modified foods. Those against GMOs also argue now that they harm the environment. GM crops and their associated herbicides harm birds, insects, amphibians, marine ecosystems, and soil ecosystems.