Proposed Bill Bans Federal Funding for Fetal Tissue Research from Abortions, Permits It from Miscarriages

The "Protecting Life and Integrity in Research Act of 2025" proposes a significant shift in how federally funded research uses human fetal tissue (HFT). The core change is straightforward: federal departments and agencies would be prohibited from conducting, funding, or supporting any research involving HFT obtained from induced abortions, according to Section 2 of the bill.

Drawing a New Line in Research

So, what is allowed under this proposal? The bill makes a clear distinction based on the tissue's origin. Section 2 explicitly permits federal research using HFT obtained after a miscarriage or stillbirth. The bill defines these terms: a "miscarriage" is the involuntary loss before 20 weeks of gestation, and a "stillbirth" is the loss at or after 20 weeks. This means labs receiving federal grants could continue or start projects using tissue from these specific sources, provided they follow existing rules outlined in the Public Health Service Act (which the bill amends to reflect this new distinction).

Furthermore, the bill encourages moving away from reliance on HFT from induced abortions. Section 2 allows federal agencies to fund the development of new high-efficiency cell lines, like those used for vaccine production, as long as they aren't derived from HFT obtained via induced abortion.

Tightening the Rules on Tissue Acquisition

Beyond funding, the bill addresses how HFT is obtained in the first place. Section 3 introduces a prohibition against soliciting or knowingly acquiring, receiving, or accepting HFT if it's known that the tissue came from an induced abortion. This section also specifically bans using tissue if it's known that a pregnancy was deliberately initiated just to provide that tissue. This aims to prevent the creation of a market or incentive structure around HFT from abortions.

This act also makes technical changes to existing law, repealing a section of the 1993 NIH Revitalization Act (Sec 113) and amending parts of the Public Health Service Act (Sections 498A and 498B) to align with these new prohibitions and allowances.

Potential Real-World Ripples

What does this mean practically? For research institutions relying on federal dollars, this bill would necessitate a major pivot if they currently use HFT from induced abortions. They would need to either shift their focus to tissue obtained from miscarriages/stillbirths, develop or adopt alternative methods (like the new cell lines the bill supports), or find non-federal funding sources. This could potentially slow progress in fields that have historically used HFT from induced abortions for modeling diseases or testing potential therapies.

On the other hand, the bill carves out specific allowances that could channel resources towards research using tissue from miscarriages and stillbirths, or spur innovation in alternative research models. The effectiveness of this shift depends on the availability and suitability of these alternative tissues and methods for various research goals. The clear definitions and rules aim to provide a new ethical and legal framework for federally backed research in this sensitive area.