Donald Trump on Wednesday personally put an end to government-funded medical research that tests new HIV therapies using fetal tissue.
Said White House spokesman Judd Deere: “This was the president's decision, another important policy . . . to protect the dignity of human life.”
The Washington Post reports: “The change represents a victory for antiabortion advocates, who immediately lauded the change, and a major disappointment to scientists who say the tissue collected from elective abortions has been instrumental to unlocking the secrets of diseases that range from AIDS to cancers to Zika, as well as to developing vaccines and treatments for illnesses such as Parkinson's disease.”
The WaPo adds: “Immediately affected is a University of California at San Francisco laboratory whose multiyear contract with the National Institutes of Health to test potential HIV therapies using “humanized mice” was terminated for unspecified ethical reasons. The government has been the lab's sole source of funding.”
Vice President Mike Pence “worked closely with HHS officials to develop the policy” according to an unnamed White House official.
