WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) in introducing the Protecting Life and Integrity in Research Act. 

The bill would prohibit federal departments, agencies and offices from conducting, funding or approving research involving human fetal tissue obtained through an induced abortion. It would not prohibit the development of new, high-efficiency cell lines, as long as those lines do not derive from fetal tissue researchers gain access to because of an abortion.

“It’s unconscionable that our government would use American taxpayer dollars to fund research that exploits or depends on the taking of innocent life. If the Biden administration won’t stop this immorality, Congress should,” said Kennedy. 

“The harvesting and trafficking of the body parts of unborn babies killed through abortion is heinous and unethical. Taxpayer dollars for medical research should be spent on research that will deliver results for enhancing quality of life, instead of devaluing life for the sake of research. This legislation would stop the Biden administration’s gross abuse of taxpayer funds,” said Hyde-Smith.

Background:

• During the 118th Congress, Kennedy cosponsored legislation to prevent the Biden administration’s Department of Defense from facilitating abortions. 

• The senator also cosponsored the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act to permanently stop federal funding for abortions and the Protecting Life in Foreign Assistance Act to stop federal funding from financing abortions overseas.

• In the 117th Congress, Kennedy opposed using taxpayer money to fund abortions and voted against Democrats’ attempt to force states to legalize abortion up to the point of a child’s birth. He also helped lead an effort to defund Planned Parenthood. 

• In April 2020, Kennedy urged the Trump administration to ensure that the federal government would not use aborted babies’ fetal tissue in the development of COVID-19 treatments.

Sens. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Ted Budd (R-N.C.) also cosponsored the legislation.

Text of the Protecting Life and Integrity in Research Act is available here.