HHS Stops Funds for Aborted Baby Parts

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has terminated the contract between the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Advanced Bioscience Resources (ABR) which would have used taxpayer dollars to fund the use of aborted fetal tissue for research. National and state pro-life leaders recently sent a letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar urging the government to end the taxpayer-funded use of aborted fetal tissue for research. The letter read, in part: "We were shocked and dismayed at the news report that the FDA has signed a contract to purchase 'fresh' aborted fetal organs from ABR, for the purpose of creating humanized mice with human immune systems.

According to GSA's federal contract database, the FDA signed a contract on July 25 with ABR to acquire "fresh" organs from aborted babies to implant them into mice. The taxpayer-funded project includes paying nearly $16,000 to ABR for harvested organs, even though the organization remains under investigation by the Department of Justice. HHS is now conducting an audit of all acquisitions involving human fetal tissue to ensure conformity with procurement and human fetal tissue research laws and regulations urging the government to end the taxpayer-funded use of aborted fetal tissue for research. HHS issued a statement which read: "After a recent review of a contract between Advanced Bioscience Resources, Inc. and the Food and Drug Administration to provide human fetal tissue to develop testing protocols, HHS was not sufficiently assured that the contract included the appropriate protections applicable to fetal tissue research or met all other procurement requirements. As a result, that contract has been terminated, and HHS is now conducting an audit of all acquisitions involving human fetal tissue to ensure conformity with procurement and human fetal tissue research laws and regulations. In addition, HHS has initiated a comprehensive review of all research involving fetal tissue 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. Finally, HHS is continuing to review whether adequate alternatives exist to the use of human fetal tissue in HHS funded research and will ensure that efforts to develop such alternatives are funded and accelerated." A new report shows that ABR has harvested aborted baby organs for research for more than what is legally reimbursable. The 11-page report details how ABR charged universities a significantly marked-up price for the organs it harvested from aborted babies received from Planned Parenthood. The Center for Medical Progress released a new report showing ABR charged researchers up to hundreds of dollars per harvested human organ in addition to packing and shipping fees - prices that indicate the organization may have been marking up the cost of fetal tissue beyond what is legally reimbursable. "This is good news that HHS has responded to the outcry of national and state pro-life leaders by rescinding the contract that funded aborted baby body parts," said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. "The Department of Justice is currently investigating Advanced Bioscience Resources for their heinous acts. This is a positive move toward once again making the womb a safe place for unborn babies," said Staver.