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

“Bureaucrats inside government agencies are using tax dollars to fund research on fetal tissue taken from aborted babies. Our Protecting Life and Integrity in Research Act would stop the federal government from funneling Americans’ hard-earned money to experiments that depend on taking innocent life,” said Kennedy. 

The bill would prohibit federal departments, agencies and offices from conducting, funding or approving research involving aborted human fetal tissue. It would further ban anyone from soliciting or knowingly accepting human fetal tissue taken from an induced abortion.

The bill would not block 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.

“There are ethical and scientifically valid ways to conduct fetal tissue research without relying on the body parts of aborted babies. Yet, the federal government currently spends millions of our taxpayer dollars each year funding research that uses tissue from abortions, furthering the dehumanizing practice of fetal tissue trafficking. It’s time to stop funding this inhumane practice that is an affront to the sanctity of life,” said Hyde-Smith.

“The creation of a taxpayer-funded marketplace for babies lost to abortion is a monstrous, barbaric practice from the start. Every baby, even those lost to abortion, deserves to be treated with human decency and respect—not like science experiments. I’m proud to introduce this legislation to put that practice to an end,” said Rep. Bob Onder (R-Mo.), who introduced the bill in the House of Representatives. 

Background:

• Kennedy is a cosponsor of a number of pro-life bills in the 119th Congress, including the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act, the Protecting Life in Foreign Assistance Act and the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act.

• Kennedy cosponsored the Protecting Life and Integrity in Research Act in the 117th and 118th Congresses.

• During the 118th Congress, Kennedy also defended pro-life states and highlighted the horrors of abortion in his roles on the Judiciary and Budget Committees. 

Sens. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) also cosponsored the legislation. 

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