Harvard Prof. on Fetal Tissue Research: ‘One Has to Respect People’s Faith…but They Could Slow Down Scientific Progress’

A Harvard University professor says faith could "slow down" scientific progress if the government doesn't keep giving millions of dollars every year to experiment with aborted fetal tissue.

Dr. Ulrich von Andrian, a Harvard Medical School professor, and others in the scientific community expressed concern over the possibility of losing federal funding for medical research after the release of multiple undercover sting videos that purport to show Planned Parenthood executives discussing the sale of aborted fetal tissue parts.

�There are certain religious aspects that are extremely difficult to address because it�s a very emotional issue,� von Andrian told the Boston Globe. �One has to respect people�s faith and opinions even if one may not share them. But they could slow down scientific progress. There is so much human suffering that could be solved by research."

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The comment came as doctors and researchers stay mostly silent in the wake of a highly politicized controversy, which has come to include calls to cut federal funding for Planned Parenthood.

Harvard University neuroscientist Emi Takahashi told the Globe that she received a call from a National Institutes of Health program officer following the undercover videos' release asking about her federal grant application. Takahashi said her mention of 30 fetal brains in the request for federal funding caught the attention of some in Congress.

�Congress was asking her what was going on with my research, and she wanted to make sure I wasn�t obtaining them illegally," Takahashi said.

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Takahashi is one of dozens of researchers competing for taxpayer dollars. In 2014, the federal government shelled out more than $76 million in grants to at least 150 scientists for the study of fetal tissue.

�This is a sensitive topic for many and I am aware our nation is divided on the issue of abortion, but it is common sense that we shouldn�t force taxpayers to assist the harvesting of human organs,� Sen. Jim Lankford (R-Okla.) told LifeNews.com. �Although abortion services account for about 3 percent of Planned Parenthood�s activities, serving about 10 percent of its clients, they perform over 300,000 abortions a year.�

Takahashi, however, suggested the potential outcomes are greater than the perceived costs.

�For me, it�s purely a scientific issue, not a moral one," Takahashi told the Boston Globe.

(H/T: Boston Globe)

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