British Stem Cell Researchers Condemn Clinics Using "Abortion Cosmetics"

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Aug 29, 2006   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

British Stem Cell Researchers Condemn Clinics Using "Abortion Cosmetics" Email this article
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
August 29
, 2006

London, England (LifeNews.com) — Leading stem cell research scientists in England are condemning a handful of clinics around the world that are attracting British women and others by offering face lifts and cosmetic surgery using tissue from babies who have been killed by abortions.

Women like Susan Barrington, a 52-year-old housewife from England, are heading to places such as Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Moscow and Rotterdam to obtain the treatments.

She has been given the final go-ahead form a local clinic to travel abroad for the treatment that promises to make her look 10 years younger and doesn’t mind that lives have been sacrificed to enhance her beauty.

But the scientists, including Professor Colin Blakemore of the UK Stem Cell Funders Forum and Lord Patel of the Steering Committee for the UK Stem Cell Bank wrote a letter to the London Times condemning the practices.

They said "extravagant claims have recently been made of success for ‘stem-cell’ treatments, available only abroad, in particular for multiple sclerosis and cosmetic skin treatment."

"We advise those who are desperate for cures or attracted to cosmetic therapy to be wary of claims being made by clinics offering these treatments," they wrote.

"In the case of these unorthodox ‘stem-cell’ treatments, the protocols and results have not been published or subject to independent review," the researchers explain. "Indeed, there is concern that these unproven treatments could be dangerous, potentially exposing patients to the risk of uncontrolled and inappropriate tissue generation."

"We would urge anyone considering visiting clinics overseas to obtain treatments not available in the UK to seek advice from their consultants or GPs and to weigh the risks carefully," they said.

They indicated that two of the clinics in the Netherlands are under investigation and said Dutch authorities are worried enough to issue their own warnings to potential patients.

To produce the treatments, clinics are using tissue from babies killed in abortions from 6 to 12 weeks into pregnancy and stem cells obtained from destroying human embryos to inject into a client’s face. The fetal cells then begin a supposed rejuvenation process that makes the skin look younger.

To obtain the cells, women in underdeveloped nations are paid up to $200 dollars to carry a baby up to the optimum eight to 12 week period when the fetuses are “harvested” for their stem cells which are then sold to exclusive cosmetic clinics.

In a statement given to LifeNews.com, Concerned Women for America condemned scientists for using tissue from abortions and embryonic stem cells for the treatments.

“This fad illustrates the extremes to which embryonic stem cell use can lead," CWA senior fellow, Dr. Janice Shaw Crouse, said. “It is hard to believe that such atrocities are going on today."

"The ethical and moral ramifications of such treatments are staggering; the experimental aspects are equally troubling," Crouse explained.

"Not only is the origin of the fetuses immoral and inhumane; there are medical problems and complications associated with the injections," Crouse concluded. "This savage and repulsive ‘brave new world’ of human sacrifices in the quest for eternal youth is a prime example of the end results when all moral boundaries are destroyed.”

Some of the clinics include the Institute for Regenerative Medicine in Barbados where injections are done using tissue from aborted babies. The clinic is located in the luxurious Villa Nova hotel, where American and Russian scientists have targeted upper class British and American women.

More than 50 clinics exist in Moscow, the Russian capital, including the Cellulite Clinic. There, cells from a wide range of sources including aborted babies and human embryos are used.