garys@bunker.UUCP (Gary M. Samuelson) (08/14/85)
I have recently (this week) received some new information regarding the use of fetuses in cosmetics. The news is good. Recall that it started with the report of a French firm advertising the use of fetal organs in one of its products. I will quote a few paragraphs to summarize: "...in a letter to A.L.L. [American Life League]: "'CTFA [Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association] has responded to consumer concern, and to your urging, and is in the midst of ... defining animal as 'non-human' in our CTFA dictionary. This dictionary *must* [emphasis in the original] be used by cosmetic companies'" Two notes: First, CTFA is a trade organization, not a government agency. Second, note that the above implies that 'animal' could formerly have included 'human'. "Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom. We have satisfied ourselves that the major cosmetic companies are, as we expected, responsible and respectable firms that would not countenance the use of fetal materials in their products." "In our research we did discover a small firm that claimed in its advertising to be using "human collagen" and "human cellular tissue factors" in their products. The FDA was asked to investigate the company but found it to be out of business. "Although one principal of the defunct firm asserted that it was not using human collagen from aborted babies, no explanation of the source of that human material was ever provided." Now some may conclude from this that my articles have been a waste of time; since the use of fetal material in cosmetics was never a "widespread practice." But I am glad that someone took the trouble to make sure that such a practice, having *started*, doesn't become widespread. More information is available from: American Life League P.O. Box 1350 Stafford, VA 22554 Gary Samuelson ittvax!bunker!garys