HR2075-119

What This Bill Does

The Protecting Life and Integrity in Research Act cuts off federal support for research involving human fetal tissue obtained through induced abortion. No federal department, agency, or office may conduct, fund, approve, or otherwise support such research. The bill preserves authority to develop new high-efficiency cell lines, including vaccine and genetic-vector production lines, if they are not derived from induced-abortion fetal tissue. It also allows research using human fetal tissue obtained after miscarriage or stillbirth under revised Public Health Service Act section 498A, retitling that section and redefining human fetal tissue, miscarriage, stillbirth, and unborn child. A second section amends section 498B to prohibit solicitation or knowing acquisition, receipt, or acceptance of fetal tissue when a pregnancy was deliberately initiated to provide tissue or when the tissue was obtained through induced abortion, excluding transfers for autopsy or burial.

Who Benefits and How

Anti-abortion research opponents benefit because federal agencies may not support induced-abortion fetal tissue research. Miscarriage and stillbirth tissue researchers benefit because the bill preserves and clarifies federal support for those sources. Cell-line developers benefit from an express path for new high-efficiency lines that are not derived from induced-abortion fetal tissue. Taxpayers opposed to induced-abortion fetal tissue research benefit from a federal funding and approval prohibition.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Biomedical researchers using induced-abortion fetal tissue lose federal funding, approval, and support pathways. NIH grant administrators must screen research proposals and tissue sources under the revised Public Health Service Act rules. Federal research agencies must distinguish induced-abortion tissue from miscarriage or stillbirth tissue. Tissue procurement organizations face tighter prohibitions on soliciting or accepting covered fetal tissue donations.

Key Provisions

• Bars federal agencies from conducting, funding, approving, or supporting research using induced-abortion fetal tissue.
• Provides an exception for high-efficiency cell lines not derived from induced-abortion fetal tissue.
• Amends federal rules for research using tissue obtained after miscarriage or stillbirth.
• Prohibits solicitation or knowing acquisition, receipt, or acceptance of induced-abortion fetal tissue donations.