Should genetically altered foods be banned?

Yes

1 of 12

by Carel Two-Eagle

Write now Print Invite a writer™ Add to Favorites RSS Feed Contact this writer

There is no question that genetically-modified foods should be banned. Simply because you 'can' do a thing, does not mean you 'should', and in the case of genetically-modified foods, the risks far outweigh the benefits.

For example, there are a number of cases in the medical records which show that people have died or been rendered comatose for extended periods of time - some never regaining consciousness - from allergic reactions to genetically-modified foods which had allergens "patched" into a previously non-allergenic food. There is no way of knowing just which genes are patched into any given food product, and in the case of the severely reactive, the results are deadly. The costs in dollars and emotionally are astronomical.

Peanuts and tree nuts have both been proved to cause severe allergic reactions in some individuals - to the point where people, especially children, have died from exposure to levels in the PPB - Parts Per Billion - range; and genes from both are commonly used in genetic tampering. When examination has been done to find the offending food source, some cases have been found where an otherwise acceptable vegetable turned out to have been genetically modified. Such problems will only increase if the number and variety of foods that are on the market and are genetically modified are allowed to continue.

While the world is over-populated with humans, as someone with severe allergies to a number of common foods, I can certainly testify to the angst, misery, and suffering that go with a severe allergic reaction - not to mention risk of death. Have you ever had hives "stacked 3 layers deep, like hamburgers on a plate" (as the ER doctor described them) all over your body, including hives down your throat and on the soles of your feet? I have. How does a person breathe through hives in the throat, hm? With great difficulty.

Also, I am allergic to the medications commonly given to combat such reactions unless they are topically applied so the dose can be carefully regulated. So - not only can a person with such a reaction not swallow a medication, due to the hives, but they often can't be given shots, either, and if they are unconscious, there is no one to notify medical personnel of the added problem. Medical alert jewelry only works if the medical personnel look for it, and many times, they don't. Lastly, like many people, I live alone.

I'm not the only one. I have a friend with asthma which is triggered by allergens. She has already had one go-round with hospitalization for an asthma attack triggered by an allergic reaction to something she ate. We were lucky twice - she survived and we got samples of the food she ate. Some of it was (a) fresh and (b) turned out to be genetically modified. Guess where her reaction came from? But tests for genetic modification are not commonly done because labs are not universally equipped to look for such modifications.

Stopping the spread of genetically-modified food is a no-brainer. It must be done, it must be done "yesterday", and it never should have been allowed to occur, let alone to continue after the first proven case of an allergic reaction to a genetically-modified food. Any other rationale is saying that those of us who have allergies are more expendable than the rest of the population. We heartily disagree!

If that rationale were valid, then how would society rationalize the deaths of people who are allergic to bee stings, the sun, or synthetic drugs? In those cases, for the most part, it is easy to predict the likelihood of having a life-threatening reaction, and avoiding the problem. In the case of food allergies from genetically-modified foods, it is not easy to predict.

Those who claim the world needs genetically-modified foods in order to feed more people are out of touch with reality. Our Holy Mother the Earth is grossly over-populated with humans. We do not need to be able to feed more; we need simple, successful methods of pregnancy prevention and birth control and a major decrease in the human population. The rapidly-expanding rate of extinction of non-human species coupled with global warming testifies to that in no uncertain terms.

These are by no means the only considerations against genetically modified foods, of course. Space does not allow a complete discussion of the problem, here.

No matter how the problem is assessed, genetic modification of food is wrong and should be discontinued immediately.

Learn more about this author, Carel Two-Eagle.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.