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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Phyllis Kahn (DFL)

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Letter on Fetal Tissue Research

Monday, January 25, 2016
Below is a letter the Star Tribune published as my response to a number of my Republican colleagues calling for an end to life saving research at the U. My colleagues astonishingly argued that past fetal tissue research wasn't actually necessary to save the lives it has. There are times when being a biophysicist in the legislature I find myself wondering how in the world some of my colleagues can deny so much science.
 

FETAL-TISSUE RESEARCH

Science has saved lives; is that what opponents want to forgo?

A Jan. 16 commentary signed by numerous Republican legislators called for an end to fetal-tissue research at the University of Minnesota.

Many scientists have pointed out that it is morally wrong to oppose research that has saved millions of lives, often of children and even unborn children. The rubella (German measles) vaccine was developed in Europe using cell lines from aborted fetuses. Before the use of this vaccine, German measles probably caused 5,000 spontaneous abortions annually.

Currently, fetal tissue research is being used to develop new ways of treating AIDS, spinal cord injuries, diabetes, cancer, macular degeneration and, most recently, Parkinson’s.

I hope that in the interests of moral purity, each of the signers of that commentary will refuse any treatments developed from this research for themselves and their family members and even their constituents.

State Rep. Phyllis Kahn, DFL-Minneapolis

The writer is a former genetics researcher.