To investigate whether Pitt may be using body parts from babies whose hearts are still beating
By Maria V. Gallagher, Legislative Director, Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation
A group of Pennsylvania state Senators plan to introduce a bill which would launch a thorough investigation into the University of Pittsburgh’s controversial research practices. The push for legislation follows allegations raised by the Center for Medical Progress and Judicial Watch that the university may be using body parts from babies whose hearts are still beating. (See https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pittsburgh-fetal-tissue-project for details.)
The co-sponsorship memo, authored by Republican state Senators Michele Brooks, Scott Hutchinson, Scott Martin, and Judy Ward, lays out a plan for a probe into both the funding and the conduct of the university’s research practices.
The memo states:
“We plan to introduce legislation in the near future to investigate reports that the University of Pittsburgh is harvesting body parts from live and aborted babies for their use in research.
“Our legislation will call on the state Auditor General to review the University’s use of state-appropriated and grant funds and identify whether any of those funds are being utilized for this research. The audit will be provided to the General Assembly and formally reported on the Auditor General’s commonwealth website.
“The bill will also require the Attorney General to investigate the research practices and research projects undergone by University faculty, staff, and students in the last decade. This investigation will result in the reporting of findings to include any processes, procedures, policies, and practices undertaken to conduct research utilizing live fetal or aborted remains.”
Pitt’s research practices gained notoriety following allegations that the university was grafting scalps from aborted human babies onto mice. The grotesque nature of the alleged experiments has led to an outcry among some public officials and policymakers.
In addition, thousands of people have signed the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation’s online petition urging the university not to perform any such experimentation.
If you live in Pennsylvania, you can also conveniently send a message to your state Senator urging him or her to support the bill calling for an investigation of Pitt. To send a message now, click here.
Chelsea Garcia is a political writer with a special interest in international relations and social issues. Events surrounding the war in Ukraine and the war in Israel are a major focus for political journalists. But as a former local reporter, she is also interested in national politics.
Chelsea Garcia studied media, communication and political science in Texas, USA, and learned the journalistic trade during an internship at a daily newspaper. In addition to her political writing, she is pursuing a master's degree in multimedia and writing at Texas.
