In 2019, the Trump administration suspended federal funding for research involving fetal tissue derived from abortions.
Yet the COVID-19 treatment President Donald Trump received was developed using human cells derived from fetal tissues aborted decades ago.
Trump received a cocktail of monoclonal antibodies and Remdesivir, which were tested and developed in cells derived from an aborted fetus.
Interestingly, Moderna and AstraZeneca, which are in a race to developing a COVID-19 vaccine, rely on these fetal tissue-derived cells. Also, Johnson & Johnson is testing its vaccine candidate in another cell line produced from aborted fetal tissue. These experimental vaccines have received federal funding.
Some experts saw a double standard in Trump’s endorsement.
Neuroscientist Dr. Lawrence Goldstein of the University of California, San Diego, said, “Hypocrisy has never bothered the man, as near as I can tell. Dr. Goldstein has used fetal tissue in his studies.
Dr. Deepak Srivastava, a lead author of the International Society for Stem Cell Research, said, “If they oppose this research, they should be willing to not take a drug that was developed using that.”
The two monoclonal antibodies Trump received have been manufactured by Regeneron, which are synthesized outside the body and injected into patients to help fight off the infection.
Regeneron tested these antibodies against virus-like particles created using “293T” human cells.
However, a spokeswoman for Regeneron said, “293Ts were used in testing the antibodies’ ability to neutralize the virus. They weren’t used in any other way, and fetal tissue was not used in the research.”
In September, David Prentice, VP of the Charlotte Lozier Institute, wrote, “One concern regarding the ethical assessment of viral vaccine candidates is the potential use of abortion-derived cell lines in the development, production or testing.”
Dr. James Sherley of the Charlotte Lozier Institute said such research is “not morally responsible,” adding, “there are alternatives — there are lots of ways that don’t require the death of anyone.”
However, other experts and leaders have sanctioned the use of the cells derived from fetal tissues, noting that they were developed long before concerns were raised about their origins.
Some scientists argue that the administration has prevented life-saving research.
Dr. Warner Greene of the Gladstone Institutes said, “The president’s decision regarding fetal tissue research has thwarted many, many promising lines of investigation.” “Our experiments were stopped and halted in their tracks,” Dr. Greene said, adding that the research had not yet resumed.
