It's time to make something clear about doTERRA's testing practices. I'm seeing half a story being passed around, and people are jumping to vilify doTERRA before they consider all the facts.

Recently, this study on Frankincense essential oil and this one on Lemongrass essential oil were released, and the 'crunchy' part of the internet got outraged.

They say doTERRA's testing their essential oils on discarded foreskins from infant circumcisions! GROSS, right?

People are up in arms, saying doTERRA's in the pocket of big pharma, and that they're profiting off circumcision.

They're even saying doTERRA is a pro-circumcision corporation.

To all of that, I call bullshit.

Why?

First, off - just to be 100% clear, here's my PERSONAL OPINION on circumcision: I believe circumcision is an infringement of human rights, and I would never condone it.

Don't believe me? Watch my ten-minute video from SIX YEARS ago on the topic.

>> I purposely called it "a balanced perspective on choices and rights" instead of something like "circumcision is awful" to get the folks who were truly considering circumcision to watch it.

If you watch it, you'll understand that I am 100% against circumcision in all cases. You can tell from the comments who watched it and who didn't! :)

Moving on, then...

Did you know that virtually every "cruelty-free" personal care product you buy has been tested on human cells in some capacity?

Anything that's sold as a personal care or wellness product HAS to be tested on something, somehow.

It's unethical and unsafe NOT TO, not to mention the legalities involved.

So let's examine the options, shall we?

--To not test it at all would be unethical.

--To test it on animals would be unethical and also wouldn't provide accurate results (because human and animal cellular structure differ).

--To test it on self-selected human volunteers would not give an unbiased data pool, and of course...

--To test it on unwitting human participants would give the most diverse data pool - BUT that would also be the height of unethical, illegal behavior.

OK - so where do these human cells come from? Medical procedures in which healthy tissue is discarded - one example of which is circumcision.

Here's the thing. We live in a world where parents are the ultimate decision-makers for their children's physical well-being.

I am SO GLAD for that...even though it means that parents can get their babies' ears pierced, or agree to circumcision, for any reason whatsoever.

So far, the collective mindset has not yet accepted that 'His Body, His Choice' applies to newborns or children.

***This is distressing and unfortunate.***

Yet - it happens that we are left with pristine human tissue that will tell us exactly how frankincense and other oils interact with our cells.

This offers the opportunity to collect vital information that we NEED to research the efficacy and safety of essential oils

There is NO perfect way of obtaining this information. None. Period.

Would we prefer that the pristine human tissue from circumcisions be thrown away?
Should doTERRA's testing of essential oils be performed on....corpses? Animals?
A woefully inaccurate computer simulation?

When indigenous peoples hunted for survival, they used every part of the animal, from the brain to the eyeballs.

It was considered disrespectful to let it go to waste...

Even if using brains to tan leather hides or eating eyeballs might be objectively ‘gross’ to folks in 2019 … I see this similarly.

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doTERRA is NOT going around telling lies about how great circumcision is, in order to ‘harvest body parts’ or profit off of them.

Circumcision is still a thing requested by parents in many, many cases, in America and elsewhere. As much as I abhor it, it’s not illegal.

Until civilized nations outlaw circumcision completely (not likely, unfortunately), the procedure will continue to leave so-called ‘medical waste’ behind.

I invite you to consider that maybe, just maybe, it's actually disrespecting these babies' bodies even further by throwing away their tissue, or making expensive facial creams out of them (oh, don't get me started...)

The independent testing companies doTERRA hires are making use of what's available in the most ethical way they can.

Has this started making sense yet?

Your kneejerk reaction to doTERRA's testing practices may leave you feeling confused or sad at first. I was pretty upset by this too, before I examined it from all angles.

I hate that circumcision is still a thing - but we live in a deeply flawed world.

Personally, I'm vocal about bodily integrity every chance I get, but I'm not going to toss the baby out with the bathwater either.

Why throw doTERRA under the bus and purposely ignore all the good they're doing in the world?

That won't stop circumcisions from happening.

I have come to realize that it’s delusional to think there's always a perfect, ideal-for-all, risk-free way of living.

Simply to be alive is to impose our existence upon this planet in ways that spell death and devastation for innumerable creatures, large and small.

To be 100% cruelty-free is an impossibility, however noble it may be to strive for. (For more on this, read my ‘beyond vegetarian’ posts).

I believe that doTERRA's testing practices reflect excellence.

doTERRA is committed to ethical and sustainable practices, as you can see with their sustainability efforts around the world.

If you're ready to upgrade your family's wellness and get the best essential oils on the planet, get yourself some doTERRA.

birthawakening

dōTERRA's testing on foreskin? here's the…