Heart and Stroke Foundation funds embryonic stem cell research

The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada funds embryonic stem cell research as well as research on body parts of aborted babies.

Embryonic stem cell research involves the creation of human beings in laboratories and then destroying them to collect their cells.

This practice started in 2003 after it issued a "Human Stem Cell Research Policy Statement" in which it admitted the following: "In sum, the Foundation will fund research that derives stem cells from i) existing human embryos or, ii) human fetal material resulting from elective abortions".

Because of their contempt for life, pro-life groups are calling for a boycott of the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

Moreover, even abstracting from the destruction of human life, the Foundation is making a poor use of its donations because it focuses on the type of stem cell research that is least promising. Despite all the media hype surrounding embryonic stem cell research, not a single breakthrough leading to treatment on humans has been achieved. The real area with potential in this field is adult stem cell research, where cells are ethically extracted from adults or from blood from umbilical cords. Countless treatments for humans currently exist based on breakthroughs made with adult stem cells. Everyday people are already benefiting from adult stem cell research.

So not only is the Foundation engaging in unethical research, they are also wasting people's money by making research in the least promising area.

For these reasons, I support this boycott and will not be making donations to this organization.