U.S. Bishops’ Pro-Life Chairman Strongly Commends Trump Administration
for Discontinuing Fetal Tissue Research at NIH
June
6, 2019
WASHINGTON—Yesterday, the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services announced that it will discontinue research
conducted within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) involving the use of
human fetal tissue from elective abortion and it will ensure that efforts to
develop ethical alternatives are funded and accelerated. Archbishop
Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas, Chairman of the U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Pro-Life Activities issued the following
statement strongly commending the Trump Administration for this important
pro-life action.
Archbishop Naumann’s full statement
follows:
“We strongly
commend the Trump Administration for taking actions to move our tax dollars
away from research using body parts from aborted babies and toward ethical
alternatives. Scavenging and commodifying the body parts of abortion victims
for use in research gravely disrespects the bodies of these innocent human
beings. Their remains deserve the same respect as that of any other person. To
subsidize this degrading practice with our taxpayer dollars is deeply offensive
to millions of Americans. Further, the use of fetal tissue procured from
aborted babies also can lead to legitimizing the violence of abortion by
suggesting that body parts procured in abortion are necessary for research. In
truth, research using fetal tissue from aborted babies is neither ethical nor
necessary. Researchers have demonstrated the ability to pursue excellence in
medical research without collaborating with the abortion industry to further
victimize aborted babies.”
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Keywords: United
States Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, Abp. Joseph F. Naumann, Committee
on Pro-Life Activities, Trump Administration, U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, National Institutes of Health (NIH), human fetal tissue,
elective abortion, medical research, commodifying, ethical alternatives,
abortion industry
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Media Contact:
Judy Keane