Franklin Reintroduces Bill Prohibiting Profits from Aborted Fetal Tissue

Representative Scott Franklin (R-FL) has reintroduced legislation prohibiting abortion providers from making profits from the sale of aborted fetal tissue to scientific researchers, saying, "Protecting the sanctity of life is paramount."

Rep. Franklin's bill, first introduced in May 2022, is named the Prohibiting Abortion Industry's Lucrative Loopholes Act, which would close apparent loopholes abortion providers have used to sell fetal tissue to scientific organizations at a profit.

As explained in his press release, the 1993 Statute on Fetal Tissue Transplantation Research, part of the Public Health Service Act, prohibits the sale of aborted fetal tissue to researchers at a profit. However, abortion providers have used the "valuable considerations" clause of the original law to make backdoor profits in the form of reimbursements, gifts, shipping, and processing without limitations or caps, which in turn makes those backdoor profits effectively limitless.

Thus, in addition to removing the "valuable consideration" language from the 1993 Statute, Rep. Franklin's bill would punish violators of the new law with up to 10 years in prison and/or fined.

In a statement, the Florida Congressman said he was "proud to reintroduce the Prohibiting Abortion Industry's Lucrative Loopholes Act to put an end to the horrific practice of for-profit fetal tissue sales," adding, "Protecting the sanctity of life is paramount. I urge my colleagues to take immediate action to eliminate these loopholes that abortion organizations have taken advantage of for far too long."

Representative Paul Gosar (R-AZ), one of the bill's cosponsors, also said, "I am more than pleased to join Representative Franklin in supporting legislation that closes the loopholes that have allowed abortion organizations to skirt the law and continue the unconscionable practice of selling fetal tissue for profit."

Another cosponsor, Representative Hal Rogers (R-KY), gave one of the strongest statements, saying, "This bill is about upholding the sanctity of life and ensuring that abortion organizations cannot profit from selling fetal remains. Even though the practice of selling fetal tissue for research was banned in 1993, these organizations have managed to find loopholes to accommodate their greed and evil profiting."

"These innocent babies should not be piece milled [sic] and sold in the name of science – and this bill closes any remaining loopholes from being manipulated by abortion organizations for profit," Rep. Rogers added.

Franklin's bill comes on the heels of the House of Representatives passing the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which requires that if a baby survives an attempted abortion, any healthcare practitioner present must act to "preserve the life and health of the child."