In his blog Neurologica, Steven Novella, MD, argues that ideology is rampant in the debate over GMOs and it’s important to find the “touchstone issue” that allows people to separate such ideology from reason. In this case, Novella writes, the “touchstone issue” in the GMO debate is Golden Rice.
The reason this is such a good touchstone issue is that all the usual objections to GMO are not relevant here. Golden rice would not increase the use of a pesticide or herbicide. It is not introducing a novel protein to human consumption. The genes come from other plants, already present in food consumed by humans. There is no risk of spreading resistance or unwanted properties to wild plants.
Golden rice is the golden child of GMO, with the potential to save millions of poor children from premature death and blindness. Being against golden rice is really a hard sell for anti-GMO activists.
Read the full, original story here: “Golden Rice – A Touchstone”
