by Leslie Tignor
Neocutis, a bio-pharmaceutical company located in San Francisco, CA which focuses on dermatology and skin care is using aborted fetal stem cell lines to produce several of their anti-wrinkle creams. See the website of ALL Associate group Children of God for Life at www.cogforlife.org for more information.
"Research" involving aborted fetal body parts (body parts taken from the corpses of aborted children) has been occurring in the United States for many years, even decades. Like embryonic stem cell research, this type of research started out being regulated by state laws, not federal. State laws could make state funding available for such research, however, most of it was privately funded.
Then, in 1993, the Clinton Administration approved federal funding for research involving aborted fetal body parts. And, once the federal government allowed for federal funding, the doors were opened wide for huge research opportunities … followed, inevitably, by corruption within the industry.
Regulations set in place at the time prohibited the sale of fetal body parts but fees and payments were permitted for handling, storage and/or transportation charges. The regulations surrounding such research were pretty loosely written and too many loopholes allowed for a lot of mischief.
You might recall that a few years ago, 60 Minutes did an expose on the sale of aborted fetal body parts. Life Dynamics Inc. (LDI, a pro-life organization based out of Texas, founded and directed by Mark Crutcher www.prolifeamerica.com) was involved in a "sting operation" that uncovered a market of aborted baby parts for sale. Various body parts obtained at various gestational ages and in various conditions as well as their prices were all listed. In addition, it was revealed that abortionists were altering abortion procedures and re-scheduling their "patients" in order to obtain certain organs or parts at particular stages of development.
(See http://www.lifedynamics.com/Abortion_Information//Baby_Body_Parts/BabyParts2.cfm)
While it remained legal to conduct research using aborted fetal body parts, regulations from that point forward focused strictly on "safety and quality control." That is, the body parts must be free of any contaminants that would cause disease or illness for people using the product containing them. Once fetal organs and tissues are obtained and secured, researchers may use them for whatever purposes they need (regardless of whether or not the researcher has obtained a federal grant, state funding or private funds). It is all of the other remains that are not used that must be incinerated.
In vaccine production, the tissues of various baby organs are used to create cell lines for culturing the viruses of the pertinent disease. The cells, which reproduce rapidly, form a "sheet-like" coating upon which the live, attenuated (or weakened) virus is then cultivated. These cell lines, once approved and regulated by the FDA for safety, are reproduced over and over in the lab for vaccine manufacture as new batches are needed. The cell lines are fully intact, meaning they contain the same full DNA sequence of the original aborted babies. Residual proteins and DNA are noted as ingredients in most product inserts. (See the website of Children of God for Life at www.cogforlife.org for vaccine source table.)
With some cosmetics, a company may contract with a "researcher" at a particular institution to obtain collagen, a substance found abundantly in the placenta and in umbilical cord. It is used in many "age-defying" skin creams, hence the so-called "fountain of youth" advertising. While fetal collagen is not a necessary ingredient of these products, it is plentiful!
Just as stem cells from umbilical cord blood are a moral alternative to human embryonic stem cells, "live birth" collagen is a moral alternative to that obtained through abortion. Many companies also use calf placenta (you might see "bovine" in the ingredient list) or other animal sources which work just as well.
But, therein also lies the problem. There is no way to be absolutely certain whether a cosmetic company is or is not using aborted fetal material in its products because cosmetics are protected under "Trade Secret" agreements. A consumer can always ask the company directly, but the company does not, under law, have to answer (or answer honestly). All the company has to do is to verify that the FDA has approved the product for safe use by consumers. Unless a company publishes the specific and precise ingredient list of its product, which it probably would not if using fetal material,
there is no proof.
The only definitive answer would come as a result of new law. A Fair Labeling and Informed Consent law would require manufacturers to label products with specific ingredient lists and/or include a warning label on the product stating that the contents include fetal material.
