Posted on 08/15/2007 10:47:12 PM PDT by EternalVigilance
Among the investments in Mitt Romney's vast portfolio worth upward of $287 million are two companies that perform or support stem cell research.
The former Massachusetts governor opposes the creation of new lines of human stem cells for research and vetoed a stem cell research bill as governor. He has said it was while considering that legislation that he evolved to his current opposition to abortion.
Many abortion opponents also oppose embryonic stem cell research, because it is conducted on cellular lines from embryos.
Romney's investments are in Novo Nordisk, a Danish company, and Millipore Corp., based in Billerica, Mass. According to their Public Financial Disclosure Form released Monday, the Romneys -- Mitt Romney and his wife, Ann -- jointly own shares in Novo Nordisk, valued between $100,101 to $250,000. They also have a mutual fund investment that includes shares in Millipore, which supplies research tools and human embryonic stem cells to researchers.
The investments are held in a blind trust set up in late 2002 before Romney took office as governor. Kevin Madden, a spokesman for Romney, said it was not known when they were purchased. He said the Romneys had no knowledge of their current holdings and are forbidden under terms of the blind trust to direct the trustee to buy or sell investments.
The Romney campaign says Novo Nordisk has, so far, done research with stem cells only from mice. According to its Web site, Millipore obtains from Australian in vitro fertility clinics human embryonic stem cells that would otherwise be discarded. Stems cells obtained that way are the exception to Romney's general opposition to stem cell research.
"Some cell stems ... are obtained from surplus embryos from in vitro fertilization" Romney wrote in a 2005 Boston Globe op-ed piece explaining his objections to the legislation in Massachusetts. "I support that research."
Still, Romney's holdings could present a problem for him with some conservatives who oppose all human embryonic stem cell research.
Mildred Jefferson, president of Massachusetts Citizens for Life, told the Boston Herald: "I believe [pulling the investments] is a step he should take. I do believe [Romney] is an honorable man, and having declared that he understands the ethical violation of embryonic stem cell research, I feel certain he would not want to have his money go to support it."
On a conference call with reporters Monday, Brad Malt, of the law firm Ropes & Gray, said he has tried to adjust the investments so they are consistent with Romney's positions as a candidate. For example, he sold investments in two European companies doing business with Iran.
"The trustee clearly stated that he has -- to best of his ability -- executed transactions in a manner consistent with the public statements and policy positions of the governor and will continue to do so where applicable," Madden told ABC News in a written statement.
According to The Washington Post, another Republican presidential contender, Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback, who strongly opposes stem cell research, owns a mutual fund that invests in Novo Nordisk.
Something he confirmed as his current position in a recent presidential debate.
It's also notable that Mr. Romney was hosted several months ago for a fundraiser in California by a major player in embryonic stem cell research.
This is all especially important, since Romney claimed this issue as what caused him to supposedly become pro-life, after supporting abortion on demand since 1970, before Roe vs. Wade.
fyi...
So making a living off of hotel porn and cannibalizing embryos is okay as long as he set up his blind trust in such a way to make it okay.
This guy is better than Clinton at having it both ways.
Where do you people come from anyway?
Your obvious malice toward pro-lifers marks you as a perfect supporter for the real Mitt Romney.
Oh yeah. They don’t call him Slick Willard for naught.
What part of “BLIND Trust” don’t you understand? And I don’t even like Romney all that much. But beating up on him for this is silly.
Who do you think sets the framework of the Romney Blind Trust? Could it be...Romney?
Convenient how that works for him.
You are so desperate it’s laughable.
Yeah, right.
"The blind trust is an age-old ruse," Romney told the Boston Globe in October of that year. "You give a blind trust rules. You can say to a blind trust, don't invest in properties which would be in conflict of interest or where the seller might think they're going to get an advantage from me."
If the answer to that is yes, it WOULD NOT BE a Blind Trust.
Mutual Funds could have bought and sold Millipore several times among millions of investors—including most American investor-retirees.
This article did its job. It got Republicans fighting each other about a non-issue.
I expected that from ABC News. I am very disappointed, however, that even well informed Freepers do not understand what a blind trust is.
Oh it’s like the issue with porn, he is allowed by Mormonism to say he is against something and yet profit from it.
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