GMOs, Should The Supreme Court Intervene?

The world’s population today is steadily increasing which makes it harder to live in. Populated area increases while habitable land area decreases, this only means that the land that could supply us with the valuable resources we need also decreases. One of our particular problem is the increasing lack of food supply. Over the centuries we have resulted to ways to maximize our crops. Harvesting more in less time and minimizing loss.

The recent decision of the Supreme Court, which banned GM eggplants and suspended the importation and use of Genetically Modified plants by the Department of Agriculture, is one of the issues that we should carefully take into consideration.

The decision was promulgated as a precautionary measure. It claims that Administrative Order No. 8 of the DA lacks the safety precaution set out by law. They further argue that it is better to err in the side of precaution than to commit uncertain irreversible errors brought by GMOs.

The SC should have not decided in such a way. They should have decided on the petition’s merit and there was no proof that the GMOs had an actual negative effect on anyone or the environment. There was no actual injury. Aside from the fact that the DA is more in a position to determine the negative effects of GMOs, the SC should have decided when there was an actual issue or controversy.

There are many uncertain things in this world and we are all trying to find solutions to the problem. It does not matter if we commit errors, it naturally goes with everything around us.  We use a medicines today, medicines which directly and instantly has an effect on us. Many of them which have not been around for a long time and we are uncertain of its long time effects. Effects which may be irreversible.

The reason why we still use them is because it helps us in our present state. It is an instant solution to problems we are presently facing. Solutions which are not absolute, but helps. Those really proven to have negative effects were thrown out.

We know the SC is our last line of defense when it come to our rights, even our rights to a healthy living. But it is still too early to decide on the problem. What the decision aims is to prevent irreversible error. We can see something as irreversible if it cannot be changed after a very long time. Right now we cannot say we are in imminent danger of an irreversible error.

Lastly, people have the right to choose if they would want to stick to GMOs or ordinary crops. They can choose which they think is best for them. By banning GMOs, people have lost their choice without any evidence to its negative effects.