Those involved with fetal tissue research would have us believe that it is a necessary path to finding cures for diseases and creating vaccines to save lives. But once again, that’s been shown to be far from the truth. This week, Science Transitional Medicine reported that the creation of a vaccine is helping victims of the Dengue virus. The Zika virus is in the same virus family, and this creation shows promise for that vaccine, as well.
None of this research has involved human fetal tissue.
Just two weeks ago, the House Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives heard from witnesses who insisted that fetal tissue was a necessary form of research because it was the most promising option for finding cures for diseases and vaccines to stop viruses.
The most notable of the hearing’s witnesses was a man who partners with Planned Parenthood to do research on aborted babies’ brains. Lawrence S.B. Goldstein, PhD, a professor in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, insisted that his fetal research is imperative to save lives. Yet another study now proves him wrong, and Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) is “chiding the Democrats for exaggerating the importance of fetal tissue.”
In a media release Thursday, Blackburn said:
I am extremely pleased with recent studies showing potential cures for Dengue fever and the Zika virus. Both diseases are causing untold pain and suffering to thousands of people. Both of these scientific breakthroughs show a solution to end these crippling diseases is on the horizon. I find it very interesting that this news comes in direct contrast to accusations made by Democrats and their witnesses during our March 2nd hearing on Bioethics and Fetal Tissue where they claimed that the work of our panel would slow down progress on efforts to find a vaccine for the Zika virus.
Indeed, it was announced just this past Wednesday that the experimental vaccine, developed by the National Institutes of Health, showed conclusive evidence of efficacy. Beth Kirkpatrick, Professor of Medicine at the University of Vermont, said:
The results of this work are very straightforward and quite conclusive. The bottom line is that the vaccine appears to be 100 percent efficacious.
Blackburn’s office points out that this contradicts Goldstein’s testimony:
During the Select Investigative Panel’s March 2nd hearing on Bioethics and Fetal Tissue, witnesses for the Democrats repeatedly claimed that progress on the Zika virus would require fetal tissue research. When asked about the need for fetal tissue in understanding the implications of the Zika virus, Dr. Lawrence Goldstein told the Select Panel that “if you want to understand the Zika virus, the most efficient place to start is with the fetal tissue that is infected. That just seems self-evident to me.”
Clearly, Goldstein’s “self-evident” theories have been proven wrong.
As Live Action reported, Goldstein has ties to Planned Parenthood and has acquired fetal parts from the abortion giant. He has also received funding from them for his research, and has donated to them as well.
Goldstein even defended the necessity of “exploration” with baby brains, saying that since researchers don’t know which area of the brain is affected by certain diseases, it’s important to “explore the landscape” of the brains.
Now Blackburn is calling his bluff. Her statement continues:
The Democrats and their witnesses repeatedly cited vaccines as also requiring fetal tissue. But today it was reported that the first level trial on human subjects of a Dengue fever vaccine has been a success. The vaccine was developed using monkey and mosquito cells — not the organs of unborn babies.
Representative Marsha Blackburn
And this is not unusual, as, thus far, actual cures for diseases have not been discovered from fetal cells. Even vaccines made from fetal cells have ethical alternatives – vaccines for the same virus that are constructed by other means. Some of these are not currently allowed or available in the United States, but they do exist in other nations.
Blackburn also expressed anger that people continue to suffer while fetal tissue advocates continue their ineffective research without pursuing cures from more legitimate and proven sources. She said:
Loud and clear, Democrats have abused the hopes of those who are suffering with the claim that our investigative efforts would interfere with potentially life-saving research. This kind of political rhetoric demeans our commitment to an open and honest discussion and these recently reported discoveries show their claims to be patently false.
Once again, the medical breakthroughs come from research that does not involve parts from dead babies. No matter what the researchers testify to justify further research, at the end of the day, the facts speak for themselves.
The Dengue vaccine is expected to be widely available in 2018. Meanwhile, Goldstein and his colleagues might still be “exploring the landscape” of baby brains.
