Pressure grows on drug firms to sever ties with conservative group after Trayvon shooting

By Julian Pecquet - 04/12/12 01:23 PM ET

Pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and GlaxoKleinSmith are the latest firms to come under pressure to sever their ties with the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council in the wake of the Trayvon Martin shooting in Florida.

ALEC helps craft business-friendly legislation for state lawmakers across the country, such as legislation outlawing penalties for failing to obey the federal health law's individual mandate. Long a target for liberal groups, the group has come under intense scrutiny over the past few weeks over its support of NRA-backed "Stand Your Ground" legislation that enhances citizens' ability to claim self-defense to avoid prosecution for harming or killing someone.

"The public is fed up with big pharmaceutical companies pursuing profit over the interests of the average American," Bob Edgar, president of the liberal advocacy group Common Cause, announced Thursday. "ALEC's pro-corporate agenda to limit voting rights, undermine our public schools, assault collective bargaining and weaken laws protecting our environment is in diametric opposition to the public interest. This is neither good business nor responsible corporate citizenship."

ALEC for its part has accused Common Cause of routinely targeting ALEC without first checking its facts. In February, for example, Common Cause accused the group of illegally handing out cash awards to lawmakers -- including House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) -- when in fact ALEC tax filings merely reported the cash value of plaques it hands out to favored lawmakers.

Over the past two weeks, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, McDonald's, Wendy's, Kraft Foods and Intuit announced that they were leaving the group. And the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced Monday that it will no longer be making grants to ALEC.

The Sanford, Fla., police department originally said it couldn't legally arrest Martin's shooter, George Zimmerman, because of the state's "Stand Your Ground" law. However, the state of Florida arrested Zimmerman on Wednesday and charged him with second-degree murder, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.