We’ve never stopped fearing the worst: that genetic engineering of viruses could
lead to a global public health disaster.‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Dear Supporter,

Organic Consumers Association was founded in 1998, in part to shut down plans by
the U.S. Department of Agriculture to allow foods containing genetically
engineered ingredients to be certified organic.

We won that important battle. But we’ve never stopped campaigning to end the
genetic engineering of our food supply, out of concern for human health and the
environment.

We’ve also never stopped fearing the worst: that genetic engineering of viruses
could lead to a global public health disaster.

SIGN THE PETITION: Stop the Genetic Engineering of Viruses! Shut Down All
‘Biodefense’ Labs Now!
[[link removed]]

TAKE ACTION
[[link removed]]Global governments and citizens are frantically trying to stem the physical,
emotional and economic damage inflicted by COVID-19.

Meanwhile, scientists are working to uncover the origin of the virus in hope of
averting another similar pandemic.

In an article
[[link removed]] titled “SARS-CoV-2 Could Have Escaped from a Lab—and the U.S. Is in the Frame,”
Claire Robinson, managing editor of GM Watch, summarizes some of the latest
evidence supporting the theory that the COVID-19 pandemic resulted from the
accidental escape of a genetically engineered virus from a lab in Wuhan, China.

In her article, Robinson cites a Washington Post report
[[link removed]] describing the “ gain-of-function
[[link removed]] ” (research involving pathogens with enhanced pandemic potential) work being done
at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV):

“Dozens of routine studies required extracting viruses from bat feces and
growing them in batches for use in a wide array of experiments. For some
projects the researchers spliced genetic material from different coronaviruses
to create chimeras that could more easily infect human cells for laboratory
experiments.”

Some scientists will argue that creating a chimera “that could more easily
infect human cells” is legitimate “medical” research. (A chimera is a single
organism that's made up of cells from two or more "individuals"—that is, it
contains two sets of DNA, with the code to make two separate organisms).

But history tells us that this type of genetic engineering research is the
foundation of biowarfare.

In a 2002 paper [[link removed]] titled: “Next Generation Bioweapons: The Technology of Genetic Engineering
Applied to Biowarfare and Bioterrorism,” Michael J. Ainscough states that
“organisms with altered characteristics are the ‘next generation’ of biological
weapons. He wrote:

“In this century, it is widely predicted that advances in biology and
biotechnology will revolutionize society and life as we know it. At the same
time, the ‘black biology’ of biotechnology, which can be used to create
biological weapons, will be one of the gravest threats we will face.”

We know this type of research is being conducted, even though it’s illegal under
the Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act of 1989, which states
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“Whoever knowingly develops, produces, stockpiles, transfers, acquires, retains,
or possesses any biological agent, toxin, or delivery system for use as a
weapon, or knowingly assists a foreign state or any organization to do so, shall
be fined under this title or imprisoned for life or any term of years, or both.”

We also know there’s a long history of safety lapses at labs, in the U.S. and
other countries, conducting biological research, as journalist Sam Husseini
outlines in his most recent article
[[link removed]] .

We may never learn the truth about the origins of COVID-19. But we should demand
an end to “gain-of-function” research that serves no purpose other than create
viruses that “more easily infect human cells.”

SIGN THE PETITION: Stop the Genetic Engineering of Viruses! Shut Down All
‘Biodefense’ Labs Now!
[[link removed]]

TAKE ACTION
[[link removed]]Thank you for taking action. Stay well, stay safe.

Katherine, for the OCA Team

P.S. To help support this, and other campaigns, please consider making a donation to OCA
[[link removed]] . Nearly 80 percent of our support comes in the form of small donations from
individual donors. Thank you!


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Organic Consumers Association is a tax-exempt, non-profit organization, under
the section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. All charitable donations are
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