Mercy Investment Services' Position

Our company, like other global corporations, faces increasingly complex ethical questions and challenges as the international, social, cultural, economic and political context within which it operates changes.

Faith communities measure the global economy not only by what it produces, but also by its impact on the human community, the dignity of the human person, and the environment.  

We believe companies engaging in research, development, production and sales of weapons, weapons components and weapons delivery systems should evaluate the decisions made when bidding on such work.  That bidding/contract process should follow a defined format and include clear, concise criteria and policies.   

These recommended practices are consistent with those of the United States Armed Forces, which, for example regularly utilize military lawyers and others to evaluate the prospective use of particular strategies and weapons on the battlefield according to the ethical standards reflected in the Geneva Conventions and other norms of international law.  

We recommend that the criteria/standards include:

--ethical business practices such that human rights and fair labor standards are upheld;  

--consideration of the impact of the contract on a sustainable environment, which in appropriate cases might include long-term environmental impact studies, questions of waste management or toxic releases and transfers; 

--strategies for stability of employment, including descriptions of alternate production plans and funding sources;

--directives for business practices which respect the culture of communities in which factories are located;  

--guidelines derived after critical study of political and civil stability of countries and before sale of weapons, weapons parts and dual-use technology;  

--studies of potential impacts of military production and use of those products on peoples' economies, environments and societies, along with specific actions for remediation, should it be required;

--disclosure of the existence and nature of arrangements with any local security forces; and 

--processes that ensure that the principles of the common good and the integrity of creation are considered when making decisions about bidding on contracts.

We believe that careful, values-based consideration of the contracts on which management bids, whether for research and development, production or foreign sales, is crucial for continued public acceptance of the company as an ethical entity entitled to derive profit from armament manufacturing.