University of California Attacks Trump Administration’s Restriction on Fetal Tissue Research

University of California System President Janet Napolitano released a statement condemning the Trump administration over new restrictions on fetal tissue research. UCSF, which lost a $2 million federal contract for fetal tissue research, says the decision is not based on “sound science.”

This week, Campus Reform highlighted a battle between the Trump administration and the University of California system over medical research involving fetal tissue.

The New York Times reported earlier this month that the Trump administration had adopted a restriction on fetal tissue research. The restrictions also marked the end of a $2 million annual contract with the University of California San Francisco for fetal tissue research.

Napolitano’s office released a statement, arguing that the restrictions are a blow to scientific research on a variety of diseases and illnesses.

The Trump administration dealt a blow today to scientific discovery and medical advancement. Fetal tissue research has helped find cures for millions of Americans who suffer from debilitating diseases, while improving the quality of life for others. It has fundamentally changed the practice of medicine — including advances in polio, measles and chickenpox vaccines — as well as treatments for Parkinson’s and rheumatoid arthritis, and cutting-edge research on HIV and Alzheimer’s disease. The importance of fetal tissue research cannot be overstated, and today’s action is a step backward for science. The University of California will continue to fight for the critical lifesaving research that Americans have come to expect and rely on from our nation’s scientific community.

The University of California, San Francisco, released its own statement in response to the restrictions. Chancellor Sam Hawgood argued that the decision is not based on “sound science” and that it will interrupt research into the prevention of debilitating diseases.

UCSF strongly opposes today’s abrupt decision by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to discontinue intramural fetal tissue research by scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The efforts by the administration to impede this work will undermine scientific discovery and the ability to find effective treatments for serious and life-threatening disease. Fetal tissue is used in important research aimed at discovering cures for illnesses that affect the lives of millions of Americans, including Alzheimer’s, spinal cord injury, eye disease, and HIV.

Breitbart News will continue to follow the University of California and other universities fighting the decision of HHS.