This bill stops the federal government from funding or conducting research that uses tissue from aborted pregnancies. It also makes it illegal for any organization—hospitals, universities, research centers, or companies—to buy, sell, or accept donations of fetal tissue from abortions, with criminal penalties for violations.

However, the bill does allow research using fetal tissue from miscarriages or stillbirths, and it permits tissue to be transferred for autopsy or burial purposes. The main effect is that medical researchers who have been using fetal tissue from induced abortions in their work—often to study diseases, develop treatments, or test vaccines—would no longer be able to do so if they receive any federal funding. This could significantly limit certain types of medical research in the United States, particularly at universities and research institutions that rely on federal grants from agencies like the National Institutes of Health.

Protecting Life and Integrity in Research Act of 2025

Hyde-Smith, Cindy

Protecting Life and Integrity in Research Act of 2025This bill prohibits federal agencies from supporting research involving, and prohibits any entity from soliciting or knowingly acquiring, human fetal tissue obtained pursuant to an induced abortion.&nbsp;Specifically, the bill prohibits any federal agency from conducting, funding, approving, or otherwise supporting research involving such tissue. Federal agencies may conduct or support research involving human fetal tissue obtained after a miscarriage or stillbirth.Additionally, the bill prohibits any entity from soliciting or knowingly acquiring, receiving, or accepting a donation of human fetal tissue where the entity knows it was obtained pursuant to an induced abortion. Entities violating this prohibition are subject to criminal penalties. The bill provides an exception for transfers for purposes of autopsy or burial.