Ethical Issues Surrounding Genetically Modified Foods - Essay Example

Genetic modification has hastened the process of development of crops with superior characteristics to the traditional ones. It has also enabled the possibility of gene transfer among different organisms in improving their quality of life. Although most of the techniques are recent and sophisticated, some are extensions to the traditional genetic modifications e.g. the maize ears of the traditional maize crops were shorter than the modern ones. Maize crops with long ears are superior in production to the ones with short ears in terms of environmental adaptation and production levels.

The introduction of genetically modified foods has become a highly controversial concept world wide. Outrage and unease acceptance reactions among consumers have been fuelled by the possibility that genetically modified products may form a large proportion of the crops grown by farmers. This has made the introduction of genetically food to be met with near indifference by many consumers. Evaluation of the ethical issues associated with the introduction of the genetically modified foods involves the focus on three main principles; general welfare, rights and justice (Knight, 2009).

The principle of general welfare enjoins governments and other administrative institutions in the protection and promotion of the interests of the citizens. The principle of rights relates to the maintenance of the access to freedom of choice by the consumers. Justice requires that the benefits and the negative effects of the practices and policies of genetic technology be shared equally by all the affected parties. The genetically modified products provoke reactions that are difficult to explain within the confines of welfare, justice and rights (Brown and Qin, 2007).

Those people that perceive genetically modified products as unnatural normally disapprove their application and strongly criticise their application. Some of the critics possess an intrinsic conviction that it is wrong to treat nature in an industrial fashion. These concerns are related to the principle of general and environmental welfare. Controversy over genetically modified plants and animal products is related to the processes characterising their production, consumption and sale. Many consumers are concerned that the consumption of the genetically modified food products may pose serious health risks.

This concern is related to the notion that the genetically modified foods may pose other unforeseen consequences due to the modifications they undergo. The theory of utilitarianism dominates the debate surrounding the ethical issues associated with the introduction of genetically modified products (Brown and Qin, 2007). This is because everyone agrees that genetic modification will enhance production; however, dilemma exists in the question; at what cost? The prominent concern associated with the application of the genetically modified foods is their negative impacts on the environment.

For instance, the use of herbicides is enhanced when growing genetically modified crops in less ideal conditions. This enhances the negative effects of the herbicides to the environment. Continued use of pesticides may also lead to the development of new strains of weeds with high resistance to herbicides (Rees, 2006). The genetically modified crops may also compete with the existing species leading to loss of biodiversity. The monogenetic crops may also fail to adapt well to the environmental stresses leading to reduced productivity.

McLean (2012) asserts that genetically modified foods have negative effects on the health of human beings. For instance, the insertion of the Brazil nut gene in the Soya beans to increase the level of Methionine has been associated with increased cases of allergic reactions to the consumers. Genetic