"...the process is exactly the same, the only difference is the outcome? its still genitic splicing, so why would one be "okay" and the other is not??"
There are two parts to the GMO issue:
1. Is the technology dangerous?.....splicing novel genes into a host genome;
2. Is the outcome dangerous? ....what happens in the field
1. Gene splicing happens in a laboratory. No one AFAIK has shown any problems that result from the molecular biology technique of gene splicing, when it works....the reason 99.9% fail is that the target genes are randomly spliced into the host (there is little control over where it goes) so, as you might expect with random insertions, the target gene usually ends up in bad places in the genome. It may be useful to know that a very large percentage of our DNA, and that of other life forms (excepting possibly the bacteria) is comprised of genetic "baggage"....noncoding regions that have no function and are in large part the result of millions of years' accumulation of genetic trash....such things as viral and even bacterial pieces of DNA that were permanently integrated into the genome, mistakes in replication that weren't corrected, and so on. We function just fine with all this rubbish DNA, in fact we continue to accumulate it.
2. The outcome of the gene product is where GMOs vary enormously. Some appear to be beneficial, such as the GMO rice that makes extra vitamin A. This has been particularly helpful in third-world countries where complete nutrition is a problem. Other GMO products are designed to improve flavor, or in some way benefit the plant.
But GMO crops with toxin genes in them are different. For instance, the Bt gene produces a toxin that kills insects. The protein works by making the gut walls of the insect "leaky". The gene is constituitively expressed in the plant, meaning the toxin appears in every part of the plant and so not only the pests eat it, we end up eating it too. There is no direct evidence that this has caused any problems to humans. You'd have to eat a boatload of it to produce acute toxicity in a person. However, the Bt toxin works the same way in any animal with a gut.
So why am I concerned? Well, the rising incidence of food allergies in children correlates with the rise in use of GMO Bt crops. Correlation is not causation....but here are some relevant facts of physiology:
a) Allergies result when the immune system builds antibodies to foreign molecules (called "antigens"). Antigens can be anything that the body considers "foreign". (Sometimes the immune system becomes hyperfunctional and produces antibodies to its own molecules, causing diseases like lupus....see http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lupus/basics/causes/con-20019676).<http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lupus/basics/causes/con-20019676> )
b) The Bt toxin produces leaks in human guts also, they are just tiny leaks. This means that food molecules in the gut can diffuse into the interstitial spaces and into the blood, where they don't belong. And guess what...in those inappropriate locations, the immune system does what it is supposed to do and builds antibodies. Voila....allergy!
This problem has been studied. There are those who say it is no problem:
http://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2014/04/16/are-gmos-causing-an-increase-in-allergies/
....yet if you read this you will see that the researchers were not distinguishing among GMO gene product outcomes....they were just looking at the gene products themselves, and whether those gene products were directly responsible for causing allergies. This is analogous to the endless debate we have here on Bee-L between acute and chronic toxicity. The reason these researchers say there is no problem with GMO gene outcomes is because using their testing methods, they see no evidence of a problem.
Here is a summary by those who conclude that GMO outcomes are indeed problematic:
http://www.globalresearch.ca/genetically-modified-foods-unsafe-evidence-that-links-gm-foods-to-allergic-responses-mounts/7277
As far as the environment, of which we are a part.....we have seen many papers showing that Bt crops poison beneficials.
Yet some GMOs, and I mentioned vitamin A rice however there are many others, are not intended to be toxic in any way and in fact may improve the health of the plant and/or consumer. I haven't seen any studies indicating that these types cause sickness or other negative outcomes.
Christina
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