The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation’s Board of Trustees announced today a foundation-wide opposition to the proposed fetal tissue ban Tuesday, according to a university release.
The proposed ban would make the use of fetal tissue obtained after Jan. 1, 2015 a felony. However, WARF patents and commercializes inventions born out of UW-Madison research that the board said would be compromised if the proposed legislation passes.
"As an organization that is committed to supporting research that leads to therapies and cures for deadly and debilitating diseases, we stand opposed to any legislation that would criminalize use of fetal tissue in research," WARF Managing Director Carl Gulbrandsen said in the release. "The WARF board believes the chilling effect this measure would have on current and future research would be devastating."
More than 100 university research labs use fetal tissue or its components to further understand illnesses or for other important research, according to the statement. These labs play a big role in attracting and retaining researchers, so the board said their closure would harm Wisconsin’s growing biotech industry.
"We view this bill as bad for Wisconsin's economy and devastating to the individuals and families impacted by medical conditions like cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer's,” Gulbrandsen said in the release. “We must ensure that lifesaving biomedical research continues to be conducted in Wisconsin and that is most effectively done through use of fetal tissue and fetal cell lines."
The board said it urges the UW System Board of Regents to take a similar stance on the issue.
