Genetically modified foods have been a big topic for debate recently. People both for and against have very convincing arguments but I, Constance A. Morella, republican of Maryland's 8th district believe that I have the best possible argument for this, and I hope this congress sees the point I"m trying to make and then vote on the bill with a omniscient grasp on the matter. I would vote against HR-16 which hopes to ban genetically modified foods because I know that genetically modified food will save money, and increase the health of people everywhere in the world. .
First off, let me start out by saying what genetically modified foods are. Genetically modified food is most commonly used to refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques. Much of the food in a persons diet consists of food that has been genetically modified, which is food that has been developed using genetic techniques of breeding and selection. Some examples of this are Golden rice, nectarines (genetically altered peaches) and tangelos. The United States uses the term genetic modification to refer to all forms of breeding, both modern, i.e. genetic engineering, and conventional (Maryanski, James H). People may think that the debate over genetically modified foods is not paramount. This could not be farther from the truth. This issue has been going on for years and there seems to be no end in sight. I want to take a look at a recent event in history that has to do with genetically modified foods that brought up great dissension. Golden Rice, which is genetically altered white rice, contains extra Beta-Carotene (A property which helps the body produce vitamin A) and was in the past 5 years introduced to Asia. The reason it has been used in Asia is because there are millions and millions of malnourished kids there that have a deficiency of vitamin A, which can lead to blindness and death.
