Bill Gates' remarks taken out of context to claim he admitted to injecting GMOs into children

Context

A video featuring Bill and Melinda Gates circulating on social media claims to show that the Microsoft co-founder admitted that they are injecting genetically modified organisms into children. In the nine-second-long video, Bill Gates says, "We're taking things that are genetically modified organisms, and we're injecting them into little kids' arms; we just shoot them right into the vein." The video surfaced on social media in 2020 and is being reshared now. The caption of one such post read, "Would you let a man who was friends with Jeffrey Epstein, and all the other monsters, babysit your child, let alone inject them with 'genetically modified organisms"? EVILNESS FROM HIM, LACK OF PARENTAL CARE FROM THOSE WHO ALLOWED IT TO BE 'INJECTED INTO (their own) LITTLE KIDS ARMS, JUST SHOOT 'EM RIGHT INTO THE VEIN."

However, Gates’ remarks have been taken out of context, leading to false claims about injecting genetically modified organisms into children.

In Fact

The video does not show Bill Gates admitting to injecting genetically modified organisms into children. Gates was instead talking about genetically modified crops and stressing the importance of safety testing and trials.

A reverse image search revealed that the viral video is from a 2015 event on genetically modified organisms (GMOs), where Bill and Melinda Gates were in attendance. The couple discussed and endorsed genetically modified crops at the event held in Brussels on January 22, 2015. The Brussels event focused on the rights of African farmers to make choices regarding the use of GM crops, reported pan-European media network Euractiv.

At the event, the video of which was broadcast by Euractiv, Bill advocated for GM crops but also argued that thorough testing is required, similar to the trials that medicines undergo before being approved. He added that once genetically modified crops have undergone proper safety testing, they can be utilized. He said, "The strongest analogy is to medicines. Is there something to worry about with medicines that some of them might have side effects? Do we need safety testing? We're taking things that are genetically modified organisms, and we're injecting them into little kids' arms; we just shoot them right into the vein. So, yeah, I think maybe we should have a safety system where we do trials and test things out." However, his remarks have been cropped and shared without context on social media.

Bill Gates has publicly endorsed the use of GMOs in various sectors, including agriculture, on multiple occasions. According to a report by The Verge dated February 18, 2015, Bill Gates said that GMOs have been widely touted as a solution to hunger and malnutrition. He stressed that if safety is proven, African countries can be the biggest beneficiaries. In January 2016, Bill and Melinda Gates spoke to the Wall Street Journal at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, about how GMOs are crucial to ending hunger in Africa. Bill Gates pushed for GM crops because he said they reduce the amount of pesticides needed, increase productivity, and help in fighting malnutrition.

The Verdict

A 2015 video featuring Bill Gates at an event discussing genetically modified crops has been misrepresented on social media. Gates wasn’t talking about injecting genetically modified organisms into children but providing an analogy regarding the safety testing of GMOs. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.