Persuasive Essay On Gmo Foods

Monika Livermore

9/21/15

Comp 2

Genetically Modified Foods and Organisms

Genetically modified foods are exactly what they sound like. They are foods produced by organisms that have had certain changes in their DNA by utilizing genetic engineering. Ever since 1982, when the FDA approved the first GMO, genetically modified foods and organisms have been skyrocketing. In 1999, GMO foods and crops dominated the markets. The big question here is are GMOs harmful to us? If farmers are spraying their plants with pesticides that kill off weeds and bugs what do you think will happen over time to us humans who are consuming these foods? Although, GMOs have a few positive health benefits it also has several negative effects. One positive of keeping GMOs around is because they are insect resistant. Since they are insect resistant none of the crops can be harmed by pests therefore, can be harvested. Many regular grown crops, with no genetic engineering or spray, are lost due to insects eating them. The negative effects of GMOs outweigh the positive effects. One big problem with GMOs, is people are beginning to have allergic reactions to these crops. Another huge problem is antibiotic success is lowering. One last risk is transgenic DNA transferring. With 64 other countries requiring labeling of GM foods you’d think that the U.S would jump on the bandwagon. We should be given the information of what we're putting into our bodies.

Practical Questions- How can we keep GM foods out of the market?

How can we keep GM foods labeled?

Conceptual Question- What are some of the side effects of consuming GMOs? Why is it important to keep GM foods

labeled?
Evidence- GM foods need to stay out of the market or at least labeled because some people have allergies, which could pose a great harm to them.
Abortion
Whether or not abortions should be legal is a big controversial debate that has been talked about all around the world. Abortion was completely outlawed and illegal in the early 1900s. It should’ve stayed that way. Seventy three years later, in 1973, this procedure was legalized. Throughout history and even today most of the abortion clinics are mainly for profit. In my own personal opinion I would agree with the laws against abortion in Brazil. Their laws on abortion state that abortion is illegal and is only to be done when the mother is in danger or in rape situations. The only pros that legal abortion consist of are only when the mother is in danger and in rape situations, but most of the time these situations are taken into consideration even when abortion is illegal. These are the only two good valid reasons for abortion. On the other hand, the negative effects of legal abortion are much more in depth problems. When a woman has an abortion she is put at risk for many different illnesses. The chances of a woman developing psychological problems is much higher than those women who don’t have abortions. The possibility for a woman that had an abortion to conceive again is very low.
Practical- What can we do to help females become more aware of the risks and dangers abortions can do to the body and soul?
Conceptual- What effects do abortions have on our economy?
Conceptual- What are the dangers in undergoing an abortion?
Evidence-10% of females who have an abortion instantly have physical complications.
Abortion also affects our economy. Our country has a debt of 16 trillion dollars. Since abortion was legalized in 1973, 50 million babies have died. If you think about how in debt our country is you can think about how those 50 million babies could have impacted us and helped us slowly crawl out of our hole of debt.
Medical Marijuana
Whether or not medical marijuana should be legal is another big debate. As of today, medical marijuana is legal in 23 different states. Several other states have a pending legislation on this case. The real question is are these people who are getting green cards and such really in need of marijuana? In my opinion, I believe medical marijuana should be illegal or only used in extreme cases. For instance, the types of cancers its suppose to help/cure. Marijuana is also supposed to help with pains, aids, glaucoma, and epilepsy. These are all valid reasons other than pain that medical marijuana should be used for. There are other pills and drugs people can take for pain. Personally, the people I know in my life that have medical marijuana cards don't in fact need it. The cons of medical marijuana are its dangerous, addictive, and it's the gateway drug to other more dangerous drugs.
Practical Question- What can we do to cut down the use of marijuana by the people who don’t actually need it and just want it for their own pleasure.
Conceptual Question- What are the risks of smoking or ingesting too much marijuana for a long period of time?
Evidence- The risks of smoking marijuana for a long period of time is it may cause memory loss, reduced thinking, and the brain may not develop to its full capacity.