Download (Counterargument and Rebuttal ) GMOs are not safe for

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Ms. Tanya Hidalgo
English 10
Upcoming Assignment
*Argumentative Essay Ppt
*Sample Argumentative Essay
* GMO Essay Prompt
PARAGRAPH 1: Introduction
Hook Strategy (Quote, FACT, General Statement, Personal Anecdote)
+ Argument: GMOs should be banned in the United States .
Reason #1 (Counterargument and Rebuttal ) GMOs are not safe for consumption.
Reason #2 Since the use of GMOs has multiplied, health problems have increased dramatically.
Reason #3 GMOs harm the environment.
PARAGRAPH 2/ Reason #1 (Counterargument and Rebuttal ) GMOs are not safe for consumption.
•Counterargument: Some people may are that there are no inherent differences between foods produced from
genetically modified (GM) plants and those from non-GM crop, and that therefore, that GMOs are safe. They argue
that companies that wish to release a GM seed or the product of a GM crop are required to test the safety of that
product. If the product is made from an organism containing a known allergen, it must be tested for safety. No one
has substantiated a single human death, or even illness, as a result of consuming GM foods.
•Rebuttal: However, there are too few independent (non-industry) studies of the health effects of GM foods to have
confidence in their safety. 1) For instance, in an experiment in Scotland, rats fed GM potatoes containing a gene for a
protein, lectin, fared poorly and suffered internal organ damage. Scientists who support GMOs have attacked the
study, but at the very least it highlights the need for more research. The mistaken release into the food system of
"Starlink" GM corn approved only for animal feed illustrates another danger—that of allergens being introduced into
otherwise non-allergenic foods through genetic engineering. 2) Further, The American Academy of Environmental
Medicine (AAEM) urges doctors to prescribe non-GMO diets for all patients. They cite animal studies showing organ
damage, gastrointestinal and immune system disorders, accelerated aging, and infertility. Human studies show how
genetically modified (GM) food can leave material behind inside us, possibly causing long-term problems. Genes
inserted into GM soy, for example, can transfer into the DNA of bacteria living inside us, and that the toxic insecticide
produced by GM corn was found in the blood of pregnant women and their unborn fetuses. Simply put, GMOs are
not healthy for consumption.
PARAGRAPH 3/ Reason #2: Since the use of GMOs has
multiplied, health problems have increased dramatically.
Evidence:
• For instance, numerous health problems increased after GMOs were
introduced in 1996. The percentage of Americans with three or more
chronic illnesses jumped from 7% to 13% in just 9 years; food allergies
skyrocketed, and disorders such as autism, reproductive disorders,
digestive problems, and others are on the rise. Although there is not
sufficient research to confirm that GMOs are a contributing factor,
doctors groups such as the AAEM tell us not to wait before we start
protecting ourselves, and especially our children who are most at risk.
• Further, the American Public Health Association and American Nurses
Association are among many medical groups that “condemn the use of
GM bovine growth hormone, because the milk from treated cows has
more of the hormone IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1)―which is linked
to cancer.” In fact, according the the American Cancer Society, in 2017,
“there will be an estimated 1,688,780 new cancer cases diagnosed and
600,920 cancer deaths in the US.” This correlation is horrifying.
Body Paragraph 4/ Reason #3: GMOs harm the environment.
Evidence:
To begin, GM crops and their associated herbicides can harm birds,
insects, amphibians, marine ecosystems, and soil organisms. They
reduce bio-diversity, pollute water resources, and are unsustainable.
For example, GM crops are eliminating habitat for monarch butterflies,
whose populations are down 50% in the US. Scientists explain,
“Roundup herbicide has been shown to cause birth defects in
amphibians, embryonic deaths and endocrine disruptions, and organ
damage in animals even at very low doses. GM canola has been found
growing wild in North Dakota and California, threatening to pass on its
herbicide tolerant genes on to weeds.”
In addition, between 1996 and 2008, “US farmers sprayed an extra 383
million pounds of herbicide on GMOs. Overuse of Roundup results in
“superweeds,” resistant to the herbicide.” This is causing farmers to use
even more toxic herbicides every year. Not only does this create
environmental harm, “GM foods contain higher residues of toxic
herbicides. Roundup, for example, is linked with sterility, hormone
disruption, birth defects, and cancer.”
Paragraph 5: Who is responsible for GMOs
and their side effects?
 Use 3 quotes from Prometheus, Frankenstein, Louis Pasteur, and
Rachel Carson (Silent Spring)
Paragraph 6: CONCLUSION
Summarize your argument and reasons. Be
aggressive, dramatic, and convincing. (ie. “It is
unacceptable…” “We must…” “Hopefully, in the
future, ...) End with provocative quote or
metaphor.