Genetically modified organisms otherwise known as “GMOs” are  living plants or animals that are created by engineers using any genetic combination necessary (Non-GMO Project).  These are generally created for a positive reason, such as attempting to cure a disease or benefit humans in some way.  With these benefits, there also many risk factors or negative aspects to this whole process.  GMOs can ultimately cause health issues in humans, impact our delicate environment in poor way, and can even infringe on our individual rights as citizens of our country (Non-GMO Project).

Being artificially made, it is frequently questioned whether or not humans should put GMOs into their bodies.  Think about it, would you really want a living organism that was made in a laboratory inside your body?  Throughout many different parts of the world, GMOs are found to be very unsafe because of the chemicals they are composed of.  Since corporations can make profits off of these GMOs they do and will use them, but one of the best ways to stop this is for American consumers to stop buying these products and find alternatives.  This will make these corporations lose money and stop using GMOs (Non-GMO Project).  Specific health risks are possibly becoming allergic to soy and other foods that are not genetically modified.  Tests on rats were also conducted and showed that rats who were fed GM foods obtained liver and reproductive issues (Natural Revolution).  Many of the female rats who ate GM soy had babies that died within the first 3 weeks of being born, clearly portraying negative effects of GMOs.

The Earth’s environment is constantly being damaged already by processes such as the burning of fossil fuels, hydro fracking, and people smoking tobacco products.  If we add GMOs on top of all the issues already presented, we are only hurting the future of this world.  More than 80% of GMOs are created for tasks such as killing weeds and farming.  “The long-term impacts of GMOs are unknown, and once released into the environment these novel organisms cannot be recalled (Non-GMO Project).”  Along with this, the use of these GMOs by farmers also means that they will most definitely end up in the food that we eat, unless we are careful.

As citizen’s of the United States, each individual has rights that should be protected by our government, but when it comes to GMOs, they are not protected.  These GMOs specifically infringe upon our right to know that the food we buy is healthy and grown right.  According to a Mellman Group poll from 2012, some 91% of consumers (clear majority) throughout our country would like to know if GMOs are present in the food that they buy.  Also, another poll taken by CBS and The New York Times stating that 53% of Americans questioned would purchase better food options if they knew the foods that had GMOs in them (Non-GMO Project).  This definitely shows that consumers have the correct mindset and are taking their health and the health of the environment into consideration when they make decisions about purchasing food.

Although GMOs are supposed to be beneficial, there are clearly a very large amount of consequences that come with it.  Ultimately, GMOs should not be used because of the fact that they cause health problems, affect the environment in harmful ways, and encroach on our rights as citizens.  I believe people should have the right to know what is being put in there food and body in order to make the best decisions for their life.  If we can make it so GMOs are not used, the world will be impacted for the better.