WASHINGTON — National Right to Life today approved of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) move to defund research projects using fetal tissue.

“This is a long‐overdue step in the right direction,” said Carol Tobias, President of National Right to Life. “Every human being, born or unborn, has inherent dignity, and the use of aborted fetal tissue in research raises profound ethical issues. We applaud NIH for choosing not to renew these grants and for making a public affirmation that federal funding should reflect respect for human life.” 

During President Trump’s first term, he banned new funding for research involving fetal tissue. This policy was reversed under the Biden administration.

NIH said it will not renew the 17 grants that were initiated under the Biden administration. The grants were funding research using human fetal tissue obtained from abortions and, collectively, the grants were worth nearly $22 million in FY 2024.

NIH said that its policy going forward will align with what the NIH describes as a commitment to valuing human life and ensuring that taxpayer‐funded research is conducted “responsibly and transparently.”

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide, and euthanasia.