Is it ethical for a company to produce genetically modified crops Essay

Is it ethical for a company to produce genetically modified crops - Essay Example Indeed, many of today’s crops have been modified so much that the modern people might have a hard time identifying the original crop, such as maize. However, with developing of modern technology, genetic modification of crops has become so sophisticated that many people find it hard to come to terms with the drastic changes made to organisms. The ethicalness of companies producing GMOs has consequently become subject of the extensive debate internationally, and the possibility that GMOs may comprise a substantial portion of the food produced in the USA and UK has elicited a barrage of reaction from different circles where disparate views are held on the issue. This paper aims at examining the ethical issues around mass production of genetically modified foods by considering different points of view on the subject to determine if a company is ethically justified to produce the same. The ethical issues surrounding genetically modified food are motivated by a multitude of factors , chief among these are health concerns since there is not enough research to determine the long-term effect of GMOs. Despite the fact that GMOs have been the part of the American diet since 1992 (soybeans, corn, and cottonseed), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allowed them because they had not found them to have any threat to the human life. It claimed they were not the subject of regulation since they did not differ from ordinary seeds (Smith, â€Å"Spilling the Beans†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). Later experimentation has come to show that many genetically modified foods are downright harmful to virtually every organ of the human body. According the American Organic Consumers, GMOs have been linked to 1000s of livestock deaths, allergic reactions and even deaths of humans over the years (Smith, â€Å"Spilling the Beans†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). The research by several other organizations has also come up with distressing results after using GMOs on rats that often suffered fatal consequences. A nother factor worth considering is that although we cannot explicitly prove they do not cause them, there is enough circumstantial evidence to require the reexamination of the corporate and federal positions on GMOs, consumption of which has coincided with increase prevalence in medical conditions, such as cancer and deadly allergy attacks. The companies producing GMOs are well aware of what they are doing; it is glaringly evident because of the fact that they continue to produce these products. This has consequently saturated the American market since the companies have no concern for the health of consumers and are driven by the bottom line. With this in mind, the ethical violations by any of the companies engaging in production of these products are unambiguous. The other ethical consideration is the fact that consumers are unaware of the effect and modifications done on the food they consume; hence, many eat such in full ignorance. To worsen matters, labeling is not allowed, so consumers have no hope of choosing whether they want to eat GMOs or not (Lendman, â€Å"Potential Health Hazards†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). This way, the companies are literally forcing millions of consumers to use these products without giving them enough information. Therefore, such attitude can be viewed as quintessence of unethical business practice. Another pertinent consideration is who will gain and who will lose in all this: who are the principal beneficiaries, is it