The use of fetal tissue in biomedical research benefits Wisconsin, Chancellor David Ward said in a memo to Wisconsin lawmakers Wednesday.
Ward urged state legislators to vote against a forthcoming bill that would prohibit the use of fetal tissue or cells of fetal origin in scientific research statewide. Research using fetal tissue played a role in the development of the polio, rabies and chicken pox vaccines, among others.
""It is research that can improve the lives of not only our state's citizens but people everywhere,"" Ward said. ""This is proven science in the best interest of human health and should not be inhibited.""
Research using fetal tissue is in the best interest of Wisconsin's economy, Ward said, noting that biomedical research attracted almost $1 billion in funding to the university last year, money that benefits the state as a whole.
Andrew Redmann, spokesperson for Med Students For Life, a pro-life group of UW medical students, argued that the issue at hand is not economics, but ethics.
""We commend the chancellor's belief that biomedical research is important for both the University and the world at large,"" Redmann said. ""However, we believe that there is a way to do research that is both ethical and beneficial, and that such research does not use tissue harvested from the unborn.""
Rep. André Jacque, R-Green Bay, one of the bill's sponsors in the State Assembly, refuted the notion that the bill would impede any future research if enacted into law.
""I am a strong supporter of medical research, but I believe that such research must adhere to high standard,"" Jacque said in an e-mail to The Daily Cardinal. ""Basic respect for human dignity and principled research demand nothing less.""
The bill will not come before the State Legislature until October at the earliest, as Wisconsin lawmakers have already held their only September session.
