A controversy erupted in November when it was revealed the University of Nebraska Medical Center was using brain cells from elective abortions in research on multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. In December, University of Nebraska President L. Dennis Smith said Johanns' request that the Medical Center stop performing the research threatened academic freedom. The university Board of Regents also voted to continue the research. The bill was introduced by Sen. John Hilgert of Omaha and originally signed by 28 senators. Supporters say the research is immoral and has alienated a significant portion of taxpayers from the school.
Chambers asserts that the bill is vaguely written and unconstitutional.
Last year, an Arizona law prohibiting the use of fetal tissue in medical research was found unconstitutionally vague by a federal judge. The 1975 law, revised in 1983, barred medical researchers from using fetal tissue from induced abortions. Similar laws in other states, including Utah, Louisiana and Illinois, have been overturned by the courts. Medical studies have suggested that some fetal-tissue transplants can effectively treat neurological disorders because the tissue produces dopamine, a substance in the brain that controls voluntary movement. Doctors say fetal tissue research also may help patients with spinal cord injuries, epilepsy and other neuro-degenerative diseases.