For the last five years, the biotechnology company Oxitec has been developing a plan to experimentally release GMO mosquitoes in the Florida Keys, which scientists hope could eventually impede the spread of the Zika virus. However, there has been much community uproar in the Keys due to a perceived violation of human rights.
As a community member states: “It’s about human rights – this can’t be pushed down our throats without consent,” said De Mier, who views her mission as helping mould policy on genetically modified animals for the country.