Pro-life sites urge boycott of companies using abortion-derived stem-cells; provide list

by Joel McDurmon on Mar 10, 2012

 

 Pepsi is under fire for contracting with a company that uses stem cells derived from an electively aborted baby simply for research on “flavor enhancers.” Of course, the brunt of the condemnation should fall on the Obama administration which allowed the move to be legal. LifeSiteNews.com reports,

In a decision delivered Feb 28th, President Obama’s Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) ruled that PepsiCo’s use of cells derived from aborted fetal remains in their research and development agreement with Senomyx to produce flavor enhancers falls under “ordinary business operations.”

Now, some pro-life sites are revealing that it’s not just Pepsi: many companies essentially rely on abortions for some of their research. LifeSite.net reports,

While Pepsi has been in the spotlight lately for contracting with a company that uses cells originally derived from an aborted fetus in flavor research, it’s not the only company that pro-lifers should think about boycotting for such unethical practices, reports the National Catholic Register.

Rebecca Taylor, a Technologist in Molecular Biology, has compiled a list of companies that use cells and tissues derived from aborted babies to develop their products, which range from childhood vaccines to cosmetics.

In her article entitled, “Morally Tainted: Products Made Possible by the Killing of Innocent Human Life,” Taylor explains:

Now, many would argue that is it morally acceptable to use these cells originally procured from elective abortion because the embryo or fetus was going to die anyway. Why not use their cells to advance technology and make our lives better?

Catholics reject this argument. If an organism must be intentionally killed to harvest cells, then the cells are morally tainted. If these cells had come from a natural miscarriage, then it would be morally permissible for parents to donate them to research.

The morality of fetal-cell use is analogous to that of organ donation. If the patient died of natural causes or a traumatic event, then it is morally permissible to use his organs for the benefit of others. It is not morally permissible to intentionally and prematurely end a person’s life and then take his organs for donation. Using cells or tissue from aborted fetuses is analogous to using organs from death-row inmates or victims of euthanasia.

Here is LifeSite’s list of companies which Taylor and others claim violate this principle:

Neuralstem
9700 Great Seneca Highway
Rockville, MD 20850
Phone: 301.366.4960

ReNeuron,
10 Nugent Rd
Surrey Research Park
Guildford, Surrey
GU2 7AF
UK
Email: info@reneuron.com

Neocutis Inc.
3053 Fillmore Street # 140
San Francisco CA 94123
Phone: 1-866-636-2884
Email: info@neocutis.com

Merck
One Merck Drive
P.O. Box 100
Whitehouse Station, NJ 08889-0100 USA
Phone: 908-423-1000

GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline plc
One Franklin Plaza
PO Box 7929
Philadelphia PA 19101
Phone: 1-888-825-5249
Email

Senomyx, Inc.
4767 Nexus Centre Drive
San Diego, California 92121
Phone: (858) 646-8300
Email: info@senomyx.com

Taylor notes that Senomyx, which tests flavor enhancers using a cell line derived from the kidney tissue of an aborted baby has reportedly contracted with PepsiCo, Kraft and Nestle.

Source @AmerVisionNews