Section 7

Growth Hormones

Genetic manipulation can involve traditional techniques like selective breeding animals with desirable traits or newer techniques such as gene-editing. These practices, along with growth hormones, exemplify humanity’s tendency to exploit nature in ways that disregard long-term consequences. Growth hormones are banned in other countries along with Europe and the UK. That ban is due to extensive studies on human health concerns and animal welfare.

That ban is well on its way to being implemented here in America. Two of the main reasons for this are its links to inducing cancer in consumers, and its links to mastitis, which is a very common and painful utter infection that cows suffer from as a result from being injected with bovine growth hormones. There are many other abnormalities besides its links to cancer as well (33).

 Could this bovine growth hormone be legal here because of the corruption and incompetence of the FDA? Maybe it’s banned in other countries because unhealthy food is incompatible with universal healthcare? One thing is for certain, the only people who benefit from growth hormones are mega-sized factory farms and farmers who care more about making a profit than our health. As Americans we would like to believe that the FDA has our best interests in mind. However, according to some publications (34)(35) and other testimonies (36)(37)(38)(39), it is quite clear that the FDA has been complacent in working with Monsanto and big agricultural interests.

   The FDA has catastrophically failed us by approving bovine growth hormones to the public, ignoring the studies linking it to cancer, and other health problems in consumers and cows (33). Employees who worked for Monsanto, the company who has made the growth hormones, have been found to be working for the FDA. This presents a health problem considering Monsanto allegedly bribed health officials to allow poison in our milk. They have also gone as far as suing grocery stores for labelling their milk as “not having growth hormones”. Ending this corruption and exploitation is essential for the health of all U.S citizens.

 Section 7 Legislation

7.1 No growth hormones of any kind shall be used on any animal in the entirety of the United States farming industry.

7.2 Farms found to be using growth hormones to increase production shall be subjected to fine and imprisonment. All subsidies will be repealed.

7.3 Any and all members of the FDA, USDA, or any other food safety department shall have no financial backing or relationship with any companies or corporations related to growth hormones.

7.4 The FDA and the USDA shall uphold their obligation to ensure that no growth hormones are present in the dairy products consumed within the entirety of all the 50 states.