Human fetal tissue: ethical implications for use in research and treatment

Research using human fetal tissue is well established in biomedical science and indicates promising results in clinical transplantation for some diseases. Because the most optimal tissue for use in transplantation is obtained from fetuses resulting from elective abortions, this technology provokes ethical controversy. Societal concern about the ethical feasibility of human fetal tissue transplantation research (HFTTR) culminates with its investigative use in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. Reflective of such concern in the United States was the 1988 ban on federal funding for HFTTR using tissue obtained from electively terminated abortuses and the establishment of the HFTTR Panel. Considerations generating ethical debate about HFTTR include the moral status of the fetus, who should consent to use of fetal tissue in transplantation research, and issues related to complicity in, and legitimization of, abortion. The moratorium on federal funding for HFTTR has been lifted, but ethical issues and societal concerns remain unresolved.