Letter
Coalition Letter to President Trump to end NIH Research Using Aborted Fetus Tissue (2018)
Coalition Letter to President Donald J. Trump to end NIH Research Using Aborted Fetus Tissue, December 20, 2018
This letter, signed by leaders of numerous pro-life organizations—including representatives of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Susan B. Anthony List, National Right to Life, March for Life, and others—urges President Donald Trump to end federal funding for research that uses tissue and organs obtained from induced abortions.
The letter calls on the Trump administration to prohibit taxpayer-funded research involving tissue and organs obtained from induced abortions. While praising ongoing HHS reviews and alternative-research initiatives, the signatories argue that fetal tissue research is unethical and unnecessary and should be replaced with alternative scientific approaches.
- Concern about NIH funding. The letter states that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) spent more than $100 million in fiscal year 2018 on research involving tissue from aborted fetuses. The authors argue that taxpayers should not be required to fund such research.
- Support for HHS review and reforms. The coalition praises HHS Secretary Alex Azar for terminating one fetal-tissue procurement contract, conducting an audit of fetal tissue research, and funding efforts to develop alternatives.
- Ethical objections. The letter argues that organs and tissues obtained from aborted fetuses should not be treated as research commodities. It describes the practice as morally unacceptable because the tissue originates from children whose lives were ended through abortion.
- Criticism of NIH Director Francis Collins. The letter objects to comments attributed to Collins in Science magazine suggesting that fetal tissue research would remain a major component of NIH research. The signatories argue that such remarks appear inconsistent with the ongoing HHS review.
- Request for policy change. The coalition urges President Trump to end federal funding for research using tissue from aborted fetuses and to adopt policies that, in their view, better respect the dignity of unborn human life.