When I chose to enroll at University of Wisconsin four years ago, my reasons were mostly linked to going to Badger football games. What I soon discovered, however, was that we have a great research institution stemming from a long history of advanced biomedical discoveries.
While I have been lucky enough to join a lab and receive training that will allow me to become a scientist in my own right, I have been disheartened to see repeated attacks on our research that have chipped away at our international reputation.
The latest is a Wisconsin Assembly bill, proposing to ban the use of “fetal body parts” for experimentation, a direct and wholly unnecessary assault on our biomedical research. Hundreds of promising studies on this campus alone use fetal tissue and cells derived from fetal tissue to develop the next generation of treatments and cures, and this bill, if passed, would derail the future of medical research across the state.
Fetal tissue bill faces strong opposition from UW researchers, Wisconsin companies
Existing law already bans the sale of human organs, including fetal tissue, so the bill is specifically banning any research use of a “cell, tissue, organ or other part of an unborn child … who is aborted by an induced abortion.” Suggesting that researchers are somehow callously experimenting on baby parts is completely incorrect.
In reality, aborted fetal tissue is used sparingly and respectfully as a critical source of cells for research on everything from HIV to birth defects and cancer, which no other model system can provide.
Additionally, this bill ignores the reality of how fetal tissue is actually sourced. Options for what to do with fetal tissue is only discussed after a woman chooses to undergo an abortion, and all tissue used in labs is freely donated by women who are informed of its use. To put it simply, women voluntarily choose to help make a difference by contributing to research that could save lives.
Documents showing UW received fetal tissue donations from Planned Parenthood cause outcry
For years, UW has been a pioneer in medical research, and as the president of the Student Society for Stem Cell Research, I strive to share the incredible discoveries made on this campus with the public.
The first ever human embryonic stem cells were successfully grown by UW researcher James Thomson, an accomplishment that cemented our place at the forefront of science in the 21st century. Stem cells are now used around the world for critical research on human disease and development, and while the bill does not restrict the use of stem cells specifically, the bill denies us the opportunity to continue to meaningfully contribute to the fast-paced field.
There are plenty of things wrong with this bill, but its worst offense is that it comes as a knee-jerk reaction to the Planned Parenthood video controversy, rather than from an actual need to regulate and fix some wrong. It is truly a dark day in Wisconsin when viral videos, shown to be heavily edited, are able to influence public policy.
To be clear, fetal tissue research has been happening at UW for a long time and has been a key part of countless medical advances. It is under strict university and government regulation and is funded with millions of dollars in federal research grants. This bill would put our research funding at immediate risk and force scientists to leave UW to continue their work, at a time when the state is also failing to adequately fund state higher education.
If this bill becomes law, students like me will not have access to research opportunities that make UW so great, and countless human beings will not have access to the medical treatments and cures fetal tissue research enables. I therefore personally stand opposed to the bill, and I urge my fellow Badgers and my Wisconsin state lawmakers to oppose it as well.
Ryan Prestil ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in neurobiology and mathematics.
