The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced Thursday that it will no longer fund research involving human fetal tissue obtained from elective abortions, marking a significant policy shift under the Trump administration.
The decision affects all NIH grants, cooperative agreements, research contracts and intramural programs conducted within the agency.
NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya said the move reflects a broader effort to “modernize biomedical science and accelerate innovation.”
He emphasized that advances in organoids, tissue chips and computational biology now provide reliable alternatives for modeling human health and disease.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, taxpayer-funded research must reflect the best science of today and the values of the American people,” Bhattacharya stated.
In fiscal year 2024, NIH funded 77 projects using human fetal tissue, a sharp decline from previous years, according to Just the News.
While tissue from miscarriages remains eligible for research, tissue from induced abortions will no longer receive federal support.
Bhattacharya noted that new technologies now allow scientists to model many aspects of human development without relying on fetal tissue from abortions.
The policy announcement comes just ahead of the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., where Vice President JD Vance, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) are scheduled to speak.
The administration highlighted the timing as a demonstration of its commitment to family and pro-life values.
Supporters of the policy argue that it aligns federally funded research with ethical standards and societal values.
Bhattacharya described fetal tissue research from elective abortions as “morally abhorrent” to many Americans and said the decision allows science to progress while respecting ethical boundaries.
Critics contend that limiting access to fetal tissue could slow critical research.
Lawrence Goldstein, emeritus professor of cellular and molecular medicine at UC San Diego, said fetal tissue remains essential for understanding early human development, disease progression and vaccine research.
“If you want to study disease during fetal stages, you need real tissue for guidance and controls,” Goldstein explained, according to Scientific American.
The policy revives debates dating back to the George W. Bush administration and the first Trump administration, both of which restricted federal funding for embryonic or fetal tissue research.
The Biden administration later reversed these restrictions in 2021, permitting new studies using fetal tissue.
Experts say the latest NIH decision reflects both ethical and political considerations, in addition to scientific judgment.
Anti-abortion organizations have historically praised NIH moves to limit fetal tissue research.
In 2025, National Right to Life President Carol Tobias called a similar policy change “a long-overdue step” toward aligning federally funded research with public ethics.
At the same time, some health policy analysts warn that ongoing research could be disrupted if alternative technologies cannot fully replicate fetal tissue results.
The NIH confirmed it will continue evaluating emerging technologies to replace human embryonic stem cells and other traditional research models.
The agency plans to seek public input on the viability of these new approaches, reinforcing its focus on modern, validated platforms that advance science while respecting ethical boundaries.
The NIH emphasized that taxpayer dollars should support research that provides the greatest potential to improve health outcomes while remaining ethically responsible.
Experts note that the shift may influence future biomedical research priorities, funding decisions and ethical standards for U.S. research institutions.
By steering resources toward alternative technologies, the NIH aims to maintain scientific innovation while responding to public concerns about the moral implications of using fetal tissue from elective abortions.
