Void of Regulation
The potential impacts of GMO’s on society if there were no regulations are pretty insignificant. The effects would not be that influential as a result of the fact that the science involved would limit the amount of people that could create genetically modified organisms. As of now the field of GMO’s is merely budding in comparison to the blossoming that could potentially occur in the near future, and thus the possibilities and capabilities of the technology are pretty limited. As with any newer field currently there are not many restrictions or regulations that are in place. Those regulations that are in place vary greatly as a result of where in the world you are. Currently the United States probably has the least amount of restrictions and regulations concerning GMO’s. The lack of safeguards and caution taking in concerns to GMO’s in the United States is actually quite startling. The fact of the matter is that not very many regulations are currently put in place. The largest restricting factor at this point is the limits of scientific knowledge. There are no regulations hindering one from pursuing the development of a new GMO as long as one has the monetary funds. The FDA regulations for the introduction of a new genetically modified food product are quite lax and some times nonexistent. The fact of the matter is that if all regulations were lifted from GMO’s it would have a pretty insignificant impact upon American society. But one thing it would do is help the American economy. If regulations were done away with worldwide Americans would be able to export their GM crops to large markets which currently do not accept GMO’s, such as China.
One thing it may have a pretty significant impact on is the development of genetically modified animals. Though the current regulations placed on GM animals are not adequate they have kept the introduction of any GM animals into the American food supply from happening. This is partly a result of the limited science and technology but not entirely. If all regulations were lifted this is a field that would explode into American society. The meat which Americans consume would most likely come from a GM animal. This could be good as the meat may be better tasting and better for you but the long term effects of its consumption would be unknown. Also the effect upon the animals and their environment could also be detrimental. I think society would purchase these products of GM animals whether they were aware of it or not. One could only assume that things would transcend in a way very similar to GM crops. Society would accept these new products with out putting much thought into what they were eating and how its development might be affecting the environment and ecosystem. But I also feel a little more of a fight would be put up against the use of GM animals due to the fact that the public is more likely to stand up and fight for the rights of an animal then a plant. Organizations would step forward calling the use of GM animals inhumane and preaching to society to boycott them. Overall society would not listen and those farmers that did not adapt to GM animals would find themselves struggling. There still would be a part of the population that would only consume natural meat but the amount would be not significant enough to make it worth while for many farmers to continue with the old ways.
As time progresses and scientific advancement are made which allows for the creation of more and better GMO’s the impact upon society would be quite significant. The use of GMO’s would continue to grow and move forward unless a significant negative impact resulted from the use of GMO’s. This negative impact would have to be pretty significant such as the death of thousands of Americans as a result of consuming genetically modified corn. If such an event took place it would put a hamper on the expansion of GMO’s as the American public would take a step back and realize the fact that they are consuming foods which very little is known about. Society would start asking questions such as, is this stuff safe? Has it been tested? This would result in businesses being put on the spot and unable to answer the question in a way satisfactory to the American public. Such an event may even result in the digression back to the old ways, if the environment is still capable of making compatible with such a digression. The deaths of thousands of people that can be directly linked to GMO’s is the only thing I can see slowing down or stopping the expansion of GMO’s in a society void of regulations. The public will not recognize slight environmental changes and the significant changes will happen further down the road at a point which it will not be possible to turn back. One would like to think that people ethics and morals would keep GMO’s from replacing conventional food but barring a catastrophe this would not be the case.
This site was created as part of the honors course: The Idea at Monmouth Collegel in Fall 2005