Fetal Tissue Transplants

Abstract

Fetal tissue divides readily and contains the precursor cells for many important somatic functions. Tissue transplant from aborted fetuses may thus restore function in persons suffering from degenerative neurological diseases, from diabetes and from a variety of blood and immune system disorders. Scientists have engaged in research with fetal tissue for many years, but only recently has the possibility of transplanting fetal tissue to cure or alleviate symptoms in sick patients seemed feasible on a large scale. While physicians have performed relatively few transplants to humans thus far, considerable animal research involving human fetal tissue suggests that it may be an effective therapy for at least two severe chronic diseases - Parkinson’s disease and diabetes. The one and a half million abortions performed annually in the United States appear adequate to supply fetal tissue for research and therapy for the foreseeable future.