When Vermont became the first state last week to require labeling genetically modified foods, it was hardly alone. Maine and Connecticut have already passed bills requiring GMO labeling with mandates that they would not go into effect until other states did the same, and there are 85 pending GMO labeling bills in 29 states. What all these bills amount to is a stunningly anti-science campaign driven by the so-called party of science, Democrats.
It’s a cause that’s been growing for years on the left.
Early on, resisting GMOs was often synonymous with opposing Monsanto, the chemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation that has made a name for itself in multiple high-profilelawsuits against small-scale farmers and for its questionable ties to the FDA, EPA and even the Supreme Court. That, and the fact that at the time, there were limited scientific studies of health and environmental effects that led to instances of alarming conjecture, were enough to cast doubt on whether the gains were worth the costs.
But what’s important to note is that the arguments for doing so are based on statistics and assumptions that were prevalent 15 years ago. And in response to the concerns over lack of adequate information, lots of scientists have conducted lots of studies. There are literally thousands of them.
So, even though the anti-GMO cause may have made sense for liberals 15 years ago, that’s simply no longer the case. For a party that prides itself on adhering to rationality and facts, and derides conservatives for doubting scientific truths such as climate change and evolution, the perpetuation of a vehement anti-GMO stance isn’t just irrational. It’s hypocritical.
After all, the left has widely mocked conservatives for climategate, the name of the conspiracy conservatives imagined when presented with the overwhelming evidence that proves global warming. But when the left-wing is shown a similarly overwhelming body of scientific evidence, it doesn’t need a conspiracy to basically ignore the findings.
Read the full, original article: Are GMOs the climategate of the left?
