Liberty Counsel Seeks to Stop Tax-Payer Funded Fetal Tissue Purchasing
National and state pro-life leaders sent a letter this week to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar urging the government to end the taxpayer-funded use of aborted fetal tissue for research.
The letter reads, in part: “We were shocked and dismayed at the news report that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has signed a contract to purchase ‘fresh’ aborted fetal organs from Advanced Bioscience Resources (ABR), for the purpose of creating humanized mice with human immune systems. We expect far better of our federal agencies – especially under the leadership of a courageous pro-life president – entrusted with the health of American citizens. It is completely unacceptable to discover that the FDA is using federal tax dollars and fomenting demand for human body parts taken from babies who are aborted. …The federal government must find ethical alternatives as soon as possible, and should end all association with those who participate in any trafficking or procurement of aborted baby organs. No taxpayer dollars should continue to go to this gruesome practice.”
According to GSA’s federal contract database, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration signed a new 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 (DOJ).
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.
Liberty Counsel is defending Sandra Merritt against 15 felony charges, brought by the Attorney General to punish her for undercover work in exposing Planned Parenthood’s unethical and potentially illegal profiteering from the sale of aborted baby body parts.
“It is horrendous that the FDA signed a contract to purchase aborted baby body parts with taxpayer dollars,” said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. “It is a positive move that the Department of Justice is investigating Advanced Bioscience Resources, but then counterproductive to hand them money for their heinous crime. These despicable acts by these companies and their owners underscore why our client Sandra ‘Susan’ Merritt should be applauded for revealing the seedy underbelly of Planned Parenthood,” said Staver.
Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics.
(Source: Christian Newswire)
