Big Pharma behind stem cell push
By Gillian Long
The Interim
The pro-life movement is constantly reminded of the importance of being
vigilant in monitoring what is put before our children in the name of
education. A new threat is coming from Canada's largest university on
the topic of embryonic stem cell research, just as we see the fall of
Bill C-13.
The
Joint Centre for Bioethics at the University of Toronto has released
a "curriculum" to 5,000 high schools across Canada, in what it describes
as a "nationwide role-playing exercise." The curriculum, called "Engage:
Stem Cells Resource Package," provides a framework for students to develop
mock legislation governing stem cell research. Teachers are directed
to break the students up into several groups of "stakeholders" and a
committee. News stories outlining the positions of different "stakeholder
groups" are provided, from which the students are supposed to create
presentations to the committee representing their assigned group.
What the curriculum doesn't provide is any dissenting voices on the
topic of embryonic stem cell research. The "Protestant" viewpoint is
taken only from the Anglican and United churches, with no mention made
of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada's decidedly anti-ESCR stance.
The Catholic position is universally against ESCR, so rather than use
any definitive Catholic statements about the issue, the compilers of
the project used a welcome speech Pope John Paul II made to George W.
Bush, which only peripherally touched on the issue at all, and an obscure
article blandly defining the church's teaching, seriously undermining
the strength of the Vatican's direction on the issue.
Scientists and industry are represented as being uniformly pro-ESCR,
despite the fact that there are many scientists who question and outright
oppose such research. Worldwide, the pro-life movement has spoken out
against embryonic stem cell research. No mention is made of any of these
groups' concerns.
Other problems with the curriculum include outdated and undocumented
articles and improperly or vaguely defined terms.
The curriculum gives students a biased view of the issues, which is
not surprising, given the source of the document. The Ontario Genomics
Institute and the Stem Cell Network, co-sponsors of the project, are
heavily invested in getting legislation passed that will allow their
scientists to do research on embryos. They, along with the CIHR, have
given the Joint Centre for Bioethics millions of dollars to investigate
how to make ESCR and related technologies more palatable to the Canadian
public. Several large drug companies also turn up as sources of funding
for the group, if not of the curriculum directly, solidifying pro-life
suspicions that "Big Pharma" is backing the push for ESCR, as they stand
to make an untold fortune with ESCR, both through the sale of embryonic
stem cell "therapies" and the anti-rejection drugs that will be necessary
for anyone who receives those treatments.
Mary Ellen Douglas, national organizer for Campaign Life Coalition,
said that with the curriculum being released on what seemed to be the
eve of Bill C-13's success, it appears that pharmaceutical companies,
researchers and their lobbyists were surprised at the resistance they
found to cloning and stem cell research. They appear to be going after
our young people in a bid to make sure they are sufficiently brainwashed
and will not protest any further abominations once they are voters.
