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Government Ends Contract With Fetal Tissue Collection Company Under Review

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Grace Carr Reporter
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The federal government terminated a contract between the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and a major tissue collection company after finding insufficient evidence that the company was abiding by fetal tissue procurement laws.

“After a recent review of a contract between Advanced Bioscience Resources, Inc. and the Food and Drug Administration to provide human fetal tissue to develop testing protocols, HHS was not sufficiently assured that the contract included the appropriate protections applicable to fetal tissue research or met all other procurement requirements,” the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) said in a Monday statement.

HHS is auditing all Advanced Bioscience Resources’ (ABR) fetal tissue acquisitions “to ensure conformity with procurement and human fetal tissue research laws and regulations,” according to the statement. The department will also perform a comprehensive review of all fetal tissue research to ensure that the research is adhering to “regulatory, moral, and ethical considerations.”

HHS said in its statement it will continue investigating alternatives that might exist in lieu of human fetal tissue research.

A Sept. 10 report revealed ABR — a 501(c)3 non-profit — allegedly sold “body parts to taxpayer-funded research laboratories at huge mark-up prices,” even though federal law forbids the transfer of fetal tissue in exchange for “valuable consideration.” (RELATED: Special Report: Planned Parenthood’s Main Collector Sells Aborted Tissue At Over Double Real Price)

“Now that HHS has found cause for termination of ABR’s continuing baby body parts sales, DOJ must do its job and follow through on the criminal referrals for ABR, Planned Parenthood, and similar entities with vigorous prosecution,” Center For Medical Progress founder David Daleiden said in a Tuesday statement.

March For Life president Jeanne Mancini also applauded HHS for “terminating this horrific $15,000 contract to provide ‘fresh’ fetal tissue,” according to a Tuesday press release.

U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley referred Planned Parenthood affiliates and a number of fetal tissue companies — including ABR — to the FBI and the Department of Justice for investigation in December 2016. (RELATED: DOJ Launches Investigation Into Planned Parenthood)

Until Monday, the FDA was one of ABR’s main customers. Since 2012, the FDA entered into eight contracts with ABR.

ABR did not reply to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

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