Environmental Award Won by Mother for Beating Monsanto
After experiencing the traumatizing death of her daughter to kidney failure just three days after her daughter was born, Sofia Gatica from Argentina became determined to find out what killed her daughter. Her conclusion? Monsanto’s genetically modified soy fields that surrounded her neighborhood, laced with damaging insecticides negatively affecting nearby neighborhood children and adults alike. Gatica began to detail how her small town was plagued with astronomically high birth defect rates, respiratory disease, and even infant mortality. What she didn’t know was that she would later receive an environmental award for her efforts to make change.
Top Environmental Award Given to a Mother for Beating Monsanto
From this point, the courageous mother decided to take on Monsanto. Amazingly, she is not alone in her struggle against the biotechnology colossus when it comes to causing birth problems, as a large group of farmers — also from Argentina — have launched a lawsuit against Monsanto for causing ‘devastating birth defects‘ in children. Gatica was initially alone, however, when she first began her uphill battle. Forming a group of concerned mothers in her local area of Ituzaingó after hosting an event at her home to discuss her experiences, the mother would be one of the very few who has actually beat Monsanto.
After sharing her story with local mothers who were also concerned for the safety of their children and families as a whole, Gatica co-founded the Mothers of Ituzaingó — an action group of 16 mothers collaborating to end Monsanto’s rampant chemical usage. The team took to the streets, going door to door to create what was the first epidemiological study of the area, only to discover that the effects of Monsanto’s concoctions were dramatically affecting many families in the town of Ituzaingó. With cancer rates 41 times the national average, something had to be done.
As a result of the serious campaign to eradicate Monsanto, the mothers were rewarded. Argentina’s Supreme Court not only banned chemical spraying near populated areas, but demanded that the government as well as soy manufacturers now prove that these chemicals are safe. Sofia Gatica is now being honored for her great environmental work with the Goldman Environmental prize, a major environmental award given to activists. Although not everyone will receive an environmental award for creating change, this story shows just how serious activism can take down most any threat — even Monsanto.
When I posted this to my FB wall it attached this caption: "Sofia Gatica from Argentina became determined to find out what killed her daughter, and she later found it to be Monsanto's GMOs."
This is not what happened, it was the pesticides that were used on it, not the GMOs.
The article and I were both roundly attacked because this falsehood was attached and used to dismiss the veracity of the entire article.
Though I personally believe that GMOs may have long term negative effects on humans and other animals, this kind of error makes us all look silly.
Too bad about this "attachment". Perhaps the real story is that the GMO seeds (corn seeds as an example) have been coated with a nicotinoid based pesticide. Although this may allow this corn to survive "RoundUp", it has the paralyzing effect of killing honey bees and other pollinators. The USA has lost 30% of its honey bees due to this colony collapse disorder. The reason that the EPA allowed the pesticide to be used, in spite of the fact that it failed to meet their own standards and in spite of the fact that one of their own scientists advised them of this, they allowed it to go because of "the need to protect Bayer's market share". If citizens don't see this for what it is (corporatism which sounds nicer than fascism), their children and grandchildren will live in a wasteland. Sadly (sorrowfully) it may already be too late.
Mr. Flouride – the nexus between Monsanto's genetically modified products and the pesticides they produce specifically for use on said GMO's is so tight as to make the two nearly indistinguishable in this consideration. The reason they call it "Round-up Ready Corn" is because it is quite purposefully modified to withstand the extreme biocide effects of the Monsanto pesticide known as "Round-Up".
I am so saddened that agribusiness has taken our earth under their control thinking that they are helping grow crops to save the world. I don't know anyone who wants to eat food grown with chemicals. No one wants to eat GMO's. Everyone is upset that chemicals are being approved by the EPA that knowingly kill the honey bee that are the life blood of pollination. EPA has approved a class of Neonicotinoids which includes clothianidian
and thiamethoxam. According to Purdue University these chemicals could one day lead to the catastropic destuction of the food supply.