Harris Supports Trump Administration Decision to End Inappropriate Use of Human Fetal Tissue in Research

WASHINGTON, DC: Congressman Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01) supports the Trump Administration’s decision to discontinue a contract with the University of California, San Francisco to fund research involving human fetal tissue from elective abortions. This decision followed a comprehensive review that began in September 2018 of all Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) “research involving human fetal tissue from elective abortions to ensure consistency with statutes and regulations governing such research, and to ensure the adequacy of procedures and oversight of this research in light of the serious regulatory, moral, and ethical considerations involved.”

As a result of this review and audit, the Administration also decided to end all research requiring new fetal tissue at all National Institute of Health (NIH) labs and to increase ethical safeguards for extramural research using fetal tissue.

Rep. Harris supports the Administration’s decision to end these contracts, and made the following statement:

“I fully support the decision to end federal contracts, paid with taxpayer dollars, that inappropriately use aborted human fetal tissue for testing protocols and research. It is an abuse of taxpayer monies when we commercialize the use of fetal tissue from abortions.”