NIH Ends Funding for Research Using Fetal Tissue From Elective Abortions
NIH bars taxpayer-funded research using human fetal tissue from elective abortions, affecting 77 projects and taking effect immediately, officials confirmed.
Overview
The National Institutes of Health announced it will no longer fund research that uses human fetal tissue obtained from elective abortions, effective immediately, NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya said in a statement.
The policy reverses a 2021 reversal by the Biden administration and follows a 2019 restriction that had already cut NIH-backed fetal tissue projects to 77 in fiscal year 2024, records show.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the move replaces fetal tissue with "gold-standard science," while scientists including Jerome Zack called the decision "a political decision, not a scientific one," marking conflicting accounts.
The ban exempts existing human fetal cell lines such as HEK 293 and allows research using tissue from miscarriages, and the agency counted about $53 million directed to 77 projects involving fetal tissue in 2025, records show.
Researchers said labs working on HIV, cancer and vaccine development will have to segregate or alter federally funded work, and NIH said it will seek comment on ways "to reduce or potentially replace reliance on human embryonic stem cells."
Analysis
Center-leaning sources present this story neutrally, balancing policy context and scientific perspectives. They report factual chronology, include NIH statements, quantify projects affected, and note both opponents' claims about alternatives and scientists' counterpoints about limited substitutes, avoiding loaded language and privileging neither side.
Sources (6)
FAQ
The ban exempts existing human fetal cell lines such as HEK 293 and allows research using tissue from miscarriages.
The policy affects 77 projects, with about $53 million directed to them in 2025.
Funding has fluctuated due to moratoriums and policy changes: Reagan/Bush administrations imposed bans lifted by Clinton in 1993; Trump era restrictions in 2019 reduced projects; Biden reversed in 2021, now reversed again.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called it replacing fetal tissue with 'gold-standard science'; scientist Jerome Zack described it as 'a political decision, not a scientific one'.
Labs working on HIV, cancer, and vaccine development must segregate or alter federally funded work; NIH will seek comments on reducing reliance on human embryonic stem cells.
History
This story does not have any previous versions.