Politics
NIH, FDA Tied to Fetal Tissue Firm
Planned Parenthood (AP Photo)
(Politico) – One of the companies identified as a fetal tissue supplier in sting videos of Planned Parenthood counts two federal health agencies among its customers, earning at least $300,000 for material used in research of treatments for HIV and eye disease, officials confirmed to POLITICO.
It’s unknown whether the nonprofit, Advanced Bioscience Resources, got any of that fetal tissue from abortions performed at Planned Parenthood clinics.
But the firm’s relationship with the women’s health organization, and its contracts since 2009 with the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration, have shed light on the government’s involvement in the little-known world of fetal tissue procurement. Those practices have come under scrutiny since the release of undercover videos accusing Planned Parenthood of profiting from fetal tissue sales.
Republican lawmakers and presidential candidates are pledging to cut federal support for the health provider, with some threatening to shut down the federal government rather than allow funding to continue.
