NIH ends funding of research that uses human fetal tissue from abortions
Source: The Guardian
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will no longer fund research that uses human fetal tissue obtained from “elective” abortions, the world’s biggest public funder of biomedical research announced on Thursday.
The ban marks the latest, and most dramatic, effort by the Trump administration to end research that uses fetal tissue from abortions – a goal that anti-abortion advocates, who oppose the research, have sought for years. In 2019, during Donald Trump’s first term in office, the NIH stopped funding internal research that involved the tissue and implemented a review committee to evaluate research proposals from scientists outside the government. Joe Biden ended that policy in 2021.
Jay Bhattacharya, the NIH’s director, suggested that the ban, which takes effect immediately, would help modernize the agency.
“This decision is about advancing science by investing in breakthrough technologies more capable of modeling human health and disease,” Bhattacharya said in a statement. “Under President Trump’s leadership, taxpayer-funded research must reflect the best science of today and the values of the American people.”
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/22/nih-human-fetal-tissue-abortion-research
Fetal tissue has been used to advance research into diabetes, Alzheimer’s, infertility and vaccines
Carter Sherman
Thu 22 Jan 2026 17.25 EST
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