US EditionNIH Ends Fetal Tissue Research From Elective Abortions
The NIH cited a decline to 77 projects using fetal tissue in 2024 and growing alternative technologies when ending federal funding for such research.
- On Jan. 22, 2026, the National Institutes of Health announced it will stop supporting research using human fetal tissue from elective abortions, effective immediately across NIH intramural and extramural programs.
- Given a steady decline since 2019, National Institutes of Health noted 77 projects in Fiscal Year 2024 and $53 million spent in 2025 on fetal-tissue projects within its $48 billion budget.
- Scientists warned that the policy will slow medical progress, noting fetal tissue's decades-long use in vaccine development and disease models, while alternatives like organoids do not fully capture brain complexity, said Tomasz Nowakowski, neuroscientist, University of California, San Francisco.
- Amid praise from anti-abortion groups, Marjorie Dannenfelser and National Right to Life hailed the move, while Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., introduced a bill to shield NIH from political interference.
- NIH will soon seek public comment on alternatives and preserve existing fetal-derived cell lines created years ago, while HHS has not clarified immediate funding impacts, creating uncertainty for ongoing projects.
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"We have been responsible administrators of taxpayers' money on this issue of life...we have reinstated the ban on fetal tissue in federal research," says Vance.
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