Fetal tissue research provides lifesaving science
I’m proud to come from a state that stands up to attacks on abortion providers and researchers who rely on fetal tissue donations for important medical advances. This same lifesaving research helped prolong the life of my papa who lived with Parkinson’s disease. Every day, families like mine are grateful for the advances in medical research so that our loved ones can live a longer, highquality life, despite their health conditions.
That’s why the House Health and Human Services Committee was right to reject HB 464, which would have required the Board of Regents of the University of New Mexico and the Health Sciences Center to report regularly on fetal tissue research. In other words, this bill would have discouraged and placed red tape around potentially lifesaving medical advances.
Fetal tissue donations are extremely important as they have led to the medical advances for Parkinson’s disease, the polio vaccine, Alzheimer’s, and other health challenges. New Mexico is one of the states that participates in fetal tissue donation and the lifesaving medical research accompanying it. It is also a state that continues to support abortion being a health care decision that should be remain between a woman and her doctor. Unfortunately, providers and researchers are being attacked for their lifesaving research with fetal tissue, the same research that helped my papa. In the midst of these attacks, I’m grateful that health care professionals and advocates continue to look out for the best interest for our women and families. And as of this legislative session, I’m grateful for state lawmakers who do the same.
Many families who make the complex decision to have an abortion are comforted knowing that their fetal tissue donation can help other families like mine. My papa lived with Parkinson’s for many years and spent most of these years mentally stable and otherwise healthy. Even so, the symptoms were still difficult to witness. We worried about the tremors that would sometimes cause him to fall, resulting in injuries and bruising. My grannie recognized the signs of Parkinson’s in my papa because her father had lived through the same disease. The biggest differences she saw between her father and my papa was the improvement in quality of life and that my papa was able to live until the age of 87, which is due to the medical advances that have been done over this period of time.
I still remember the last days with my papa, sitting beside him as he squeezed my hand to show me his love. I was so grateful to have been able to spend many years close to him and to have him in the life of my daughter. It is because of his encouragement and support that I am now a pediatric nurse, helping other families to lead healthy lives, and I know he would be so proud. The medical advances for Parkinson’s disease gave us the opportunity to spend many good years with my papa, which would not have been possible without fetal tissue donations.
Fetal tissue donation continues to be used in life-saving research and is responsible for improving the lives of many affected by Parkinson’s and other diseases. Attacks to abortion providers and those doing medical research with fetal tissue donations harms families like mine. Let’s stop vilifying providers and researchers and instead thank them for making sure so many more families have the chance to live quality lives despite their health care conditions. And when the next bill inevitably pops up to threaten fetal tissue research, let’s continue supporting providers, researchers, women and families.