Health Care

University of Pittsburgh funding could hinge on its fetal tissue research

Republican lawmakers are hoping to stop Pitt from using tissue obtained from elective abortions

The Cathedral of Learning on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh

The Cathedral of Learning on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh Wikimedia Commons

A program at the University of Pittsburgh focused on fetal tissue research has become a major bargaining chip in state budget negotiations as GOP lawmakers look to tie the university’s state-allocated funding to its medical research involving fetal tissue. 

Republicans in the state House approved an amendment this week that would prohibit the university from receiving its $151 million allocation from the state if it uses fetal tissue that has been obtained from elective abortions.

The amendment, which was sponsored by state Rep. Jerry Knowles, was added to a bill that would allocate state funding for four state-related universities: Penn State University, the University of Pittsburgh, Temple University and Lincoln University.

Knowles, a Republican from Schuylkill County, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he is not trying to halt the university’s funding. “My goal is not to stop the funding,” Knowles said, according to the Post-Gazette. “As a matter of fact, I want to help Pitt get themselves out of a problem they have created for themselves.”

Pitt is one of multiple research institutions that has received grants from the National Institutes of Health for the purposes of using fetal tissue for medical research. According to the university, its research has been used in relation to treatments for cancer, HIV and AIDS, among other conditions.

However, the decision to tie the university’s funding to the issue of fetal tissue research has frustrated Democrats from the Pittsburgh area who see the amendment as an attack on the university and its students.

House Democrats from the Allegheny County delegation held a press conference on Tuesday to condemn the move, framing it as an attempt to “extort” state-related institutions that could result in students losing access to financial aid. 

“The fact is, fetal tissue research plays a critical role in advancing life-saving discoveries, and has been used to develop vaccines, find treatments for cancer and help scientists better understand illnesses like HIV and AIDS,” said state Rep. Austin Davis, a Democrat from Allegheny County. “But denying funds to the University of Pittsburgh … punishes our Pennsylvania students most of all because every cent of the appropriation that my Republican colleagues are so eager to withhold is used to provide discounted tuition to more than 21,000 in-state Pitt students.”

State Rep. Dan Miller, a Democrat who also hails from Allegheny County, agreed. Miller said the amendment is “a direct attack on the future of those kids,” adding that “Pennsylvania is already not doing enough to minimize student debt.”

Democrats also cited a 2021 report from an independent auditor that found that Pitt’s use of fetal tissue has been “fully compliant with applicable laws.”

House Republicans have countered claims from Democrats by underscoring that the funding restriction would only apply to fetal tissue that is obtained from abortions. The university would still be allowed to obtain tissue from other situations, like a miscarriage or stillbirth, under the current language in the bill.

A House Republican spokesperson added that the restriction would likely not extend to University of Pittsburgh Medical Center locations, just the university itself. 

The legislation, Senate Bill 1283, is still awaiting a vote in the state House, as House lawmakers recessed without considering the bill on Tuesday afternoon. State Rep. Matt Bradford, the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, told reporters Tuesday that he doesn’t see the bill earning votes from two-thirds of House members – the number it needs in order to be approved and sent back to the Senate. 

But even if the bill is approved by both chambers of the General Assembly, it’s unclear if Gov. Tom Wolf will sign it. A spokesperson for Wolf said in an email Tuesday that Wolf “supports funding our state-related universities without caveats.”

“The amendments adopted on the floor jeopardize important funding that supports tuition assistance, education and research at a world-class university,” said Wolf spokesperson Beth Rementer. In addition to Pitt’s $151 million allocation, the legislation also includes a $242 million allocation for Penn State University, a $158 million allocation for Temple University and $15 million for Lincoln University.

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.