Politics, GMOs & Your Health

            By: John King

 

I was thinking of what to write about for my first post. Should it be informational? Should it be about some sort of new supplement or health trend? I decided to do neither and pose a few questions for pondering.

I receive emails from several environmental and health related political action organizations. Almost daily, I hear about a politician who wants to pass legislation that encroaches on our right to manage our own health. Much of this occurs indirectly through legislation that has nothing to do with the medical aspect of health care. Loosening environmental controls, the legalization of dangerous food additives and drugs, restricting access to nutritional supplements and deceptive product labeling; all make it harder to manage our health.

Lately, there has been a flurry of legislative activity surrounding the introduction of Genetically Modified Organisms or GMOs into our food supply. Next to climate change, nothing has the potential for such a disaster as the introduction of genetically engineered DNA into the world’s food supply. This is one of those things where once it’s done, cannot be undone. If we change our ways we could mitigate the negative effects we’ve had on our climate. This is not the case with GMOs.

It is not the intent of this post to go into the many dangers of introducing genetically modified DNA into our bodies and environment. But in case you have not been following the subject, some of the dangers include: world wide contamination of the food supply, low birth weights, allergic reactions, immune system problems, organ damage and even death. And that’s the short list!

There are some good organizations that are fighting to keep GMOs out of our food supply. So when I receive a political action alert regarding GMO legislation, I usually send an email to my Congressman and Senators urging them to vote on the side of health. This post was inspired by one such interaction.

I received a response to a letter I had written to my Congressman regarding the deregulation of GM crops. He assured me that GM foods were safe and posed no health risks. Funny, he has no degree in biology, how could he make this statement with such confidence? Obviously he needs a little more education on the subject. So I replied to his email asking that he review the science and get back to me. I sure hope he takes the time to review the information I sent and that I have given him something to think about.

Afterwards, I started thinking about politics and the double standards that affect our health. There are many politicians with strong opinions on things such as abortion and stem cell research. They say it is against God’s will for us to be monkeying around with such things. If you’re a politician and that is your platform then you should stand by it and vote accordingly. So why do these same politicians vote in favor of GMOs? By genetically altering plants and animals are we not interfering with God’s will? If there was a bill introduced that would legalize the genetic engineering of our children, would these same politicians vote in favor of it? Interfering with the process of natural selection is never a good idea. All living things Earth are as perfect as thousands of years of evolution permits. Just because science has given us the capability to manipulate genes doesn’t mean we should. We, as a people, need to learn to live in harmony with our environment instead of trying to engineer it.

There has been much talk about what government’s roll should be when it comes to your health. In this regard, I feel legislators should take their lead not from the Founding Fathers, but from Hippocrates and first seek to do no harm to their constituents. Unfortunately, greed influences too many of our elected officials allowing them to be swayed by lobbyists.

So what can you and I do about GMOs? We can educate ourselves and others to the dangers genetically modified organisms pose to not only human health, but the health of our entire planet. Refuse to buy products that contain GM ingredients and let growers and manufacturers know of your intent. Stay informed about legislation pertaining to GMOs and get involved. Write to your Senators and Congressman and tell them you want them to vote on the side of health. Just say no to GMO!

If you would like to learn more about GMOs, the Institute for Responsible Technology is the best place to start. There is much valuable information there including ways you can support the non-GMO movement and take action. You can also download the Non-GMO Shopping Guide to help you with your food buying choices.

From time to time, I will post links to petitions regarding important GMO legislation. I encourage you to make a difference and take a minute of your time to sign the petitions. Our legislators need to know that we will will not stand for our food supply being contaminated by greed and bad science.

Best in Health,
John