NEW YORK (Reuters) - Some large companies in the United States are pursuing plans to study stem cells drawn from early stage human embryos, a newspaper said Tuesday, thrusting them into the heated debate over the controversial branch of drug research.Companies that have initiated research programs or have plans to are Becton, Dickinson & Co. (down $0.67 to $57.70, Research), Invitrogen Corp. (up $0.26 to $71.51, Research) and Johnson & Johnson (down $0.90 to $67.99, Research), the Wall Street Journal said.
General Electric Co. (down $0.30 to $35.52, Research) and the U.S.-based research operations of Swiss drug giant Novartis AG also have plans to initiate programs, the report said.
In response to General Electric's decision to pursue research on embryonic stem cells Debi Vinnedge, Executive Director of Children of God for Life has made the following statement:
As long time shareholders of General Electric stock, we are outraged to learn GE will pursue embryonic stem cell research. Despite the declining value of the current market price of their stock, we are left with no choice but to sell it and re-invest in companies that are not involved in unethical research. Whether or not you are a shareholder in GE or any of the other companies listed in today's Wall Street Journal (April 12) we encourage you to contact them at once, voice your complaint and threaten a boycott!The Wall Street Journal reported,
For big, publicly traded companies, the decision whether or not to enter stem-cell research has prompted extraordinary internal deliberations, including by corporate boards and in town-hall-style meetings. Some companies entering the field are striving to keep a low profile over their involvement.Indeed, big companies are pursuing embryonic stem cell research in search of future profits. By doing so, they need to understand that an even bigger portion of their current and future profits are in jepardy."Drug companies are afraid of risk," says Laurie Zoloth, a professor of medical ethics at Northwestern University. "And stem cells put you at risk morally, politically and scientifically."
With household names like GE and Johnson & Johnson taking up stem cells, supporters are likely to see a major endorsement of their position. But stem-cell critics may seize on the chance to carry their ethics fight to companies' doorsteps. "Because of the moral issue, many of us would not want it funded at either the federal or the private level," says David Prentice, a senior fellow at the Family Research Council in Washington.
If you are a GE Shareholder, CogforLife suggests contacting investor relations:
Email -pauline.berardi@corporate.ge.comFor more information see The Ethics of Embryonic Stem Cell Research and Human Cloning
Mailing Address:
General Electric Shareholder Information
Attention: William Cary, VP
3135 East Turnpike
Fairfield, CT 06828
Phone: 203 373-2475 or 203 373-2468
Apparently, these companies do not care about success rates or side-effects - otherwise, they would continue working with Adult Stem Cell Research, which has yielded incredible results without the controversy of destroying human life. However, they have seen from history that side-effects and moral ambiguity do not matter much to stock prices - they have Merck as an excellent example. (Merck has been manufacturing infant & toddler vaccines using aborted fetal tissue as a substrate for years, and this has not noticeably affected the performance of its stock.) All they need to do is get the government behind them, as Merck did with making infant/toddler vaccinations mandatory, and they are on their way to sure profits and steady growth while exploiting and destroying the unborn. (As an additional note, the unborn cannot be compensated nor can they sue for use of their genetic material, nor are the parents of these unborn even aware of the patents being made off of their own progeny.)
The ultimate irony is that one of these companies performing research on embryonic stem cells is Novartis, which owns the Gerber line of baby products!