(GoRealNewsNow.com) – A Republican United States Senator has expressed strong support for a federal investigation into the University of Pittsburgh following allegations of illegal harvesting and use of fetal tissue from aborted fetuses.
These allegations, brought to light by the Center for Medical Progress (CMP) and Judicial Watch through public records requests, have revealed that the Department of Health and Human Services’ inspector general has begun investigating the university’s practices.
The controversy centers around experiments funded partially by the National Institute of Health, first reported by CMP in 2019.
These included using scalps from 5-month-old fetuses in grafting experiments on lab rats and the transportation of fetal kidneys for research. US Senator Steve Daines (R-Montana), a founder of the Senate Pro-Life Caucus, has condemned these practices as “barbaric” and “repulsive,” highlighting his longstanding call for an investigation into these matters.
Senator Daines, along with other congressional Republicans, had previously urged HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and then-NIH Director Francis Collins in a September 2021 letter to investigate the University of Pittsburgh’s program. The letter criticized the use of aborted fetal tissue in research as unethical and ineffective, arguing that despite its long history in clinical research, it has not yielded any significant clinical treatments.
The emails released last month confirm that the HHS investigation into the University of Pittsburgh has been ongoing since at least October 2021. However, the current status of this investigation remains unclear, with the HHS Office of Inspector General neither confirming nor denying its existence.
Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA), who co-signed the September 2021 letter, has expressed frustration over the lack of clear answers regarding the investigation. He pointed out that HHS redirected him to an investigation conducted by a law firm hired by the University of Pittsburgh.
The University of Pittsburgh has consistently denied any wrongdoing, maintaining that its research practices are legal and asserting the importance of fetal tissue research in advancing medical science. A spokesperson for the university reiterated their commitment to adhering to state and federal regulations and emphasized the critical role of such research in life-saving discoveries.