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ROGER WICKER: Tax money should not fund unethical science

President Joe Biden ran for office as a unifier who would heal our nation’s divisions, yet many of his policies continue to alienate millions of Americans. This is especially true with his abortion agenda, which is already one of the most aggressive on record.

During his first weeks in office, Biden opened up U.S. funding for pro-abortion causes overseas, began the process of financing abortion clinics here at home, appointed a radically pro-abortion Secretary of Health and Human Services and pushed to expand the use of chemical abortions through telemedicine.

More recently, Biden has ushered in a wave of scientific research that disregards human life. In April, the Biden administration lifted a ban on federal researchers using the bodies of aborted infants in lab experiments. This decision means taxpayers will now be funding experiments that for millions of Americans are morally indefensible – for example, implanting the cells of aborted babies into lab mice.

Making matters worse, the Biden administration disbanded the ethics board that oversaw and often vetoed these projects, meaning that decisions to fund unethical science will now be made in secret, away from public view.

Taxpayers should be left out of unethical experiments

Since my first days in Congress, I have fought to protect the unborn and to prevent taxpayer dollars from supporting the practice of abortion. I have also helped pass legislation ensuring that tax dollars do not support research that results in the destruction of human life, including embryos. This fight is far from over, and I am now leading efforts in Congress to push back against the Biden administration’s abortion agenda.

Last month, I authored a letter calling on the Department of Health and Human Services to reverse its decisions to end the fetal tissue ethics board and to fund morally objectionable research. I urged the administration instead to focus on ethical alternatives to human fetal tissue, such as adult stem cells, which have provided miraculous treatments for serious diseases. This letter was signed by 36 senators and 98 House members, reflecting broad consensus in Congress.

I am deeply disappointed that Biden has abandoned his longtime support for the Hyde Amendment, which prevents tax dollars from funding abortions. This provision has been in place during Democratic and Republican administrations for 45 straight years. Candidate Biden reversed his position only two years ago, reflecting growing pressure from the left wing of his party and the pro-abortion lobby. I am committed to protecting the Hyde Amendment in upcoming legislation. I have also reintroduced legislation that would make the Hyde Amendment permanent so that it is not repeatedly put at risk in the appropriations process.

Mississippi leads the nation toward ending abortion

In 2018, Mississippi made history by enacting one of the strongest pro-life laws in America. This law reflected a goal put forward by then-Governor Phil Bryant: “to end abortion in Mississippi.” The law has now made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where the case will be argued next year. This case is the most promising opportunity yet for challenging Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that made abortion-on-demand the law of the land.

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Thank you for your support,

Senator Roger Wicker