Rachel Parent, 14, founder of the Canadian youth group Kids Right to Know, which supports the labeling genetically modified foods, calmly challenged the verbal assault of Kevin O’Leary, the co-host of the CBC business news program The Lang and O’Leary Exchange.
In the episode that aired last week, the pair initially debated whether the Canadian and United States governments should consider the health studies conducted by genetically modified seed makers like Monsanto valid.
The conversation got ugly when O’Leary accused Parent of being a “lobbyist” against GMOs and then equated her position of questioning GMOs to somehow supporting malnutrition and the death of children. Remaining cool-headed and composed throughout his harangue, Parent countered that people have a basic right to know what’s in our food and explained she has no vested interest in honest food labeling. She then highlighted the most basic facts for O'Leary: genetically engineered crops don’t actually out-produce organic crops, GMOs are treating human beings as lab rats, and consumers have a right to know what they're buying or eating. (Source)
About Rachel Parent
From a very young age Rachel showed true compassion for the protection of animals, she also attended a small school that nurtured and encouraged caring for others by performing for the less fortunate, and elderly, including singing and playing guitar with the York Region Police choir.
When Rachel was 12 years old, she had to do a speech for all the students at her School in Aurora, on a topic that would be of interest to her. Rachel struggled trying to decide among topics such as GMOs, Animal Cruelty, Poverty in Canada and Global Deforestation. She decided on GMOs because of the opportunity to change so many lives, to better everyone’s health, and help improve our overburdened health care system. Rachel understood that GMOs are affecting the entire planet, from humans to bees, the earth, and kids’ futures. The topic of GMOs was a natural choice, as the situation was urgent and needed immediate attention. She won a medal for her speech.(Source)
In the episode that aired last week, the pair initially debated whether the Canadian and United States governments should consider the health studies conducted by genetically modified seed makers like Monsanto valid.
The conversation got ugly when O’Leary accused Parent of being a “lobbyist” against GMOs and then equated her position of questioning GMOs to somehow supporting malnutrition and the death of children. Remaining cool-headed and composed throughout his harangue, Parent countered that people have a basic right to know what’s in our food and explained she has no vested interest in honest food labeling. She then highlighted the most basic facts for O'Leary: genetically engineered crops don’t actually out-produce organic crops, GMOs are treating human beings as lab rats, and consumers have a right to know what they're buying or eating. (Source)
About Rachel Parent
From a very young age Rachel showed true compassion for the protection of animals, she also attended a small school that nurtured and encouraged caring for others by performing for the less fortunate, and elderly, including singing and playing guitar with the York Region Police choir.
When Rachel was 12 years old, she had to do a speech for all the students at her School in Aurora, on a topic that would be of interest to her. Rachel struggled trying to decide among topics such as GMOs, Animal Cruelty, Poverty in Canada and Global Deforestation. She decided on GMOs because of the opportunity to change so many lives, to better everyone’s health, and help improve our overburdened health care system. Rachel understood that GMOs are affecting the entire planet, from humans to bees, the earth, and kids’ futures. The topic of GMOs was a natural choice, as the situation was urgent and needed immediate attention. She won a medal for her speech.(Source)
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I'd hate to be her parent and try to debate against her. You go girl.... give them a piece of your mind and take no prisoners. I really hope that at least one generation (while I'm still alive) will stick it to them.
One thing that Rachel brings out that even the TV hosts admit to is that, if we labeled all GMO foods, virtually EVERY food in the store would be labeled, and would have been for many years now!!!
With this in mind, look at the decline of our overall health. Higher levels of obesity. Superbugs. Increases ALMOST YEARLY in the potentiality of a child with ADHD or autism. For the past fifty years, while our medical knowledge has been getting better, our overall health has been getting worse. Not to mention the fact that certain insect species have been in decline and/or pushed to the brink of extinction, from lightning bugs (insect predator) to bees (vital to pollination).
RESPONSIBLE science would involve performing long term studies using CONTROL groups, but as long as GMOs affect virtually ALL the food on our shelves, such studies would be impossible.
Any time Kevin O’Leary opens his mouth to speak on any topic he's out of his element.
Awsome! With youth like her, the future might not be so bad.
Kevin O'Leary clearly does not want to understand Rachel Parent's position -- she just wants everyone to be informed of what has been done to our food so that we can make the choice to eat GMOs or not! Stick with the issue, Kevin O'Leary.
The girl is well able. This man does not give two hoots about unfortunate people out side of America.I'm fortunate to live out side of America and I don't want GMO at all. I wonder how my grand parents made it with out it.
I have a couple of comments:
If all foods were labelled, there is no question the demand for non-GMO foods would skyrocket. People are currently blissfully ignorant of the extent of GMO contamination of the food supply. We have skyrocketing rates of cancer, autism, and Alzheimer's Disease. Perhaps there is a link to GMO's. Without unbiased testing, we cannot know.
Being anti-GMO is not necessarily anti-science. Science has over many years improved agriculture without gene tampering in the laboratory with no regard as to possible consequences. Only unbiased science can prove whether or not GMO's are truly safe.
Most of the countries in Europe have banned GMO's. I believe the reason this has not happened in the United States is because big business (Monsanto) and big agriculture and their lobbies fully control our legislative bodies.
The war with Monsanto has just begun and Rachel Parent is one of the generals of the Peoples' Army!
oh man ... he is the shill ... I'd like to ask him, "what if 'science' proved that Monsanto's products are killing the pollinators?" ... pause ... It's not just "science" versus misled people with some strange passion against "science." It's about profit-driven, control-crazed companies doing bad things with science. Science itself is neutral. It's how things get used and deployed. He was was belittling to her. I have a hammer. Can I build nice things with the hammer? - sure. Can I also use the hammer to bash your stupid head in? Sure ... So, it is with "science" dumb ass ...
You remind me of my daughter and i hope my grandaughter is just as "tough." I love your heart and passion! you are a good example to young girls/boys and i will be sharing this video with the yputh i work with as well as my granddaughter
You remind me of my daughter and i hope my grandaughter is just as "tough." I love your heart and passion! you are a good example to young girls/boys and i will be sharing this video with the yputh i work with as well as my granddaughter
I guess God didn't know what he was doing when he made everything. God needs man to "fix" our food?... This guy is an idiot!!!!!