The United States federal government is currently investigating the University of Pittsburgh (“Pitt”) in relation to allegations that it has obtained parts and tissues of aborted children for the purpose of conducting experiments without the requisite legal authorisation.
The Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) is said to be conducting the investigation.
The mounting accusations against Pitt appear to originate from a collection of emails. The Daily Wire reported on Thursday that the emails had been obtained as part of a public records request from Judicial Watch and the Center for Medical Progress (CMP).
David Daleiden asserted that the University of Pittsburgh has been a center for some of the most barbaric experiments on the body parts of late-term aborted babies, which were funded by the government.
Daleiden is the founder and president of the CMP, a pro-life group that is renowned for its extensive investigative journalism work.
“We have now obtained the first confirmation from the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) documents that this is the subject of a formal federal law enforcement investigation by the [OIG].”
Daleiden’s organisation has been investigating Pitt’s experiments on baby parts for at least the last four years. The Daily Wire reports that the experiments included the scalping of five-month-old fetuses in order to stitch their scalps and back skin onto lab rats and the transportation of fetal kidneys to other researchers.
The Pennsylvania Family Institute (PA Family) further noted that the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), an affiliated nonprofit global hospital network, and Pitt jointly operate a Pitt Tissue Bank. This facility supplies aborted fetal organs and tissue to Pitt researchers.
The PA Family asserted that Pitt and UPMC employ numerous Planned Parenthood abortion providers, who perform abortions and train medical students in this procedure.
In accordance with the Pennsylvania Family, Documents indicate that the University of Pittsburgh established racial quotas for aborted babies to be used in experiments.
A pro-life organisation has stated that doctors believe that Pitt’s statements indicate a possibility that organs were extracted from live fetuses.
Once more, from The Daily Wire:
According to the emails, Pitt’s Senior Vice Chancellor for Research Dr Rob Rutenba acknowledged the existence of a federal investigation into the school in response to an email from NIH Deputy Director for Extramural Research Dr Michael Lauer requesting information about the university’s fetal tissue projects.
According to the website of the University of Pittsburgh, Fetal tissue research plays a pivotal role in scientists’ efforts to combat and cure some of the most devastating diseases, including Alzheimer’s, ALS, diabetes and Parkinson’s.
Furthermore, the research facilitates an understanding of the factors that contribute to healthy pregnancies, successful births and healthy babies.
Scientists at Pitt have used fetal tissue to better understand the effectiveness and safety of certain treatments for HIV, AIDS and cancer. In another example, by learning how the placenta protects the fetus from viral infections, researchers are able to keep more mothers and their babies healthy and safe.
Pitt asserts that the tissue is procured from repositories designated as tissue banks.
The Pitt Biospecimen Core, which provides central support for Pitt research programmes, receives all fetal tissues from UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital. This is according to a statement released by the university.
Those politicians who espouse the pro-life position have expressed their dissatisfaction with the ongoing investigation by the Biden administration’s HHS, claiming that it is inadequate.
In a recent conversation with FOX News, Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) asserted that the HHS initiative was an inadequate and incomplete investigation.
Smith said:
A truly transparent and comprehensive assessment would not have shied away from the questions raised by the public record, including whether [Pitt] used the body parts of babies who were born alive and whose organs were harvested, and whether individuals who procured the baby body parts for the university altered abortion procedures to suit their gruesome research.
It is therefore recommended that the federal HHS Office of Inspector General should conduct a full audit to determine whether infanticide or other forms of misconduct are occurring.
In recent months, Smith has emerged as a staunch proponent of incorporating pro-life safeguards into the President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), despite the Biden administration’s reservations.
The congressman is a Catholic and has been awarded an “A” rating by the Catholic Accountability Project.
Daniel Miller is responsible for nearly all of National Right to Life News' political writing.
With the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency, Daniel Miller developed a deep obsession with U.S. politics that has never let go of the political scientist. Whether it's the election of Joe Biden, the midterm elections in Congress, the abortion rights debate in the Supreme Court or the mudslinging in the primaries - Daniel Miller is happy to stay up late for you.
Daniel was born and raised in New York. After living in China, working for a news agency and another stint at a major news network, he now lives in Arizona with his two daughters.
