Children of God for Life Statement

Merck Shareholder Annual Meeting

April 27th, 2004

I am Debi Vinnedge, Executive Director of Children of God for Life and on behalf of over half a million parents and medical professionals nationwide who have joined our Campaign for Ethical Vaccines, I would like to begin by thanking you Mr. Gilmartin and the members of the Board for bringing your ethically produced single dose measles and mumps vaccines back to the market last summer.

Children of God for Life has done a tremendous amount of research among market consumers and investors on this issue and the results show that the vast majority  would choose ethically manufactured products over those derived from abortion without hesitation - even if it meant paying a higher price for those products. 

We are already assisting in the marketing of your ethically produced measles and mumps vaccines through a network of doctors nationwide who are in turn helping parents protect their children by special ordering the Attenuvax and Mumpsvax.  Unfortunately, because Merck only ships these in 10-paks, some doctors in smaller practices or remote parts of the country are reluctant to buy them, fearing the unused doses will be wasted.  Some do not want to invest in multiple doses of vaccines that might sit in their inventory where they would be unable to recoup their cost for quite some time.  But rather than caving in and using MMR, these parents are allowing their children to go unvaccinated.  So there is a substantial market you are already missing.

I would like to propose a meeting with Merck executives to discuss these and other key opportunities in greater detail. You many not be able to undo the past, but you certainly can alter the future - and we are willing to help you do that, by making your ethical products more widely available. This proposal will:

            1) Allow Merck to substantially increase its sales

            2) Provide parents and doctors with vaccines they can use in good conscience

            3) Further protect society from infectious disease

The plan we have in mind is a win-win solution for everyone involved.  I cannot imagine anyone at Merck - or your shareholders objecting to something that would increase your sales and put Merck in good standing with the moral majority of America .  It just makes good business sense - because it won’t be long before there are ethical alternatives from your competition and the forerunners in that endeavor will be the big financial winners. We already have commitments from hundreds of professional groups such as the Catholic Medical Association who are willing to promote and market a pharmaceutical company willing to step forward and do what is morally right. You make the decision:  will it be Merck or a competitor?  Mr. Gilmartin, you just stated that Merck is living by your founder, George Merck's creed to "do the right thing and the rewards will follow", so I ask you now to live up to that pledge.  Thank you.

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