The decision affects roughly 77 federally funded projects that used fetal tissue in 2024. The tissue has been integral to research on diseases including HIV and cancer, though policy supporters argue alternatives now exist.
The Trump administration announced Thursday that the National Institutes of Health will no longer fund research using human fetal tissue derived from abortions. The policy, long sought by anti-abortion groups, expands restrictions the administration imposed during its first term. Under the new rules, all NIH-funded research will be barred from using fetal tissue, though research using cell lines previously created from fetal cells will continue.
NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya acknowledged in a statement that the agency “has long maintained policies governing the responsible and limited use of human fetal tissue in biomedical research.”
Decades of Federal Funding
The government has funded research involving fetal tissue for decades under both Republican and Democratic administrations. The tissue, which would otherwise be discarded, has been critical for certain research, including ways to fight HIV and cancer. Opponents of fetal tissue use say there are now alternatives, although many scientists say there are not always adequate substitutes.
Current Impact
Fetal tissue use in federally funded research has declined since 2019. The $47 billion agency counted just 77 projects funded in 2024 that included fetal tissue.
A History of Policy Reversals
During Trump’s first term, the administration ended the use of fetal tissue on NIH’s campus and established additional barriers for non-government scientists seeking NIH funding. The Biden administration subsequently lifted those restrictions. Thursday’s new policy covers all NIH-funded research.
What the Policy Covers
The policy does not end the use of cell lines created years ago from fetal cells—cloned copies of cells, such as embryonic stem cells, that are adapted to grow continuously in laboratories. Bhattacharya said NIH will soon seek comment about potential ways “to reduce or potentially replace reliance on human embryonic stem cells.”