Controversial Issues Across The United States - 1383 Words

Morgan Applegarth First Year Seminar Shelley Molland December 4, 2015 Rough Draft Controversial issues across the United States don’t stop at civil rights and liberties, instead they work their way up to the white house step by step. While the rest of the nation is watching Congress stress over the issues of same sex marriage and abortion laws, a smaller population of the country is simply fighting for the truth behind their nutrition. Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s) have been a topic of controversy since before the 1980 court case between genetic engineers and the U.S. Patent Office in which the court ruled in favor of the genetic engineers claiming Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine,†¦show more content†¦While the agricultural world is working hard to make positive influences on more efficient farming, individuals have treated GMO’s as a negative alteration in their produce. Farmers and researchers in the agricultural world claim no harm can be done by them. GMO’s have not yet been proven to be harmful to humans and have, in fac,t had a positive impact on the food industry today. Some consumers claim GMO’s do not increase yields or even result in lower yields. Arguing these statements Monsanto, an agricultural company, states, â€Å"In agriculture, desirable crop characteristics are known as traits. One of the most important traits is yield. Improving crop yield can be accomplished through both breeding and biotechnology. GM crops generally have higher yields due to both breeding and biotechnology†. The statements revolving around the anti-GMO myths are continuously being revoked as further research comes out. By increasing yields, farmers are able to sell more crops which in return can have a positive effect on the economy. Geoffrey Lean, who published a story in the UK newspaper later, claimed his article on GMO reduced yields based on Dr. Barney Gordon of Kansas State University’s manganese research was given a rebuking response. Dr. Gordon himself claimed Geoffrey Lean’s work was â€Å"a gross misrepresentation of my research and a good example of irresponsible journalism†. While the yields were more relevant in