Ethical and policy issues in human fetal tissue transplants

A review of human fetal tissue policies over the past 40 years reveals an increasing awareness that the use of this tissue raises unique ethical and policy issues. Initially it was believed that the use of fetal tissue was no different from using any other abandoned surgical waste specimen. Then state laws were passed requiring fetal tissue to be treated with the same respect and protection as tissue obtained from cadaver donors generally. Most recently, a few state and federal policies suggest that the use of fetal tissue requires a unique set of provisions, that it is unlike either the use of tissue from a routine cadaver donor or the use of tissue from abandoned waste specimens. In this paper we identify four central features of fetal tissue donation that make it a unique type of tissue donation requiring its own framework of respect and protection for the parties involved. We then critically review the most important current state and federal fetal tissue policies, including the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993.