By that measure, there could have been 5,800 miscarriages in Nebraska in 1998, a year in which the state recorded 23,533 live births. But the number of miscarriages that might lead to tissue donation would be fewer than the total number of miscarriages, Robertson said. Only about half of the women who miscarry require any medical attention. In the majority of instances, the fetal tissue is dead by the time a miscarriage is completed and would not be suitable for research, Robertson said. Another factor is that about 60 percent to 70 percent of miscarriages involve fetal abnormalities.
Some research requires normal tissue.
The NU regents and Medical Center officials have said they would prefer using alternatives to elective abortions to the extent possible. However, Miller is the first person associated with the university to express confidence that the need could be met entirely through alternatives. Two anti-abortion leaders said that if the Medical Center can obtain all its fetal tissue from miscarriages, the regents should end the Medical Center's connections with Dr. LeRoy Carhart, an abortion provider whose Bellevue clinic supplies all the fetal tissue. The others are Bob Blank, head of Metro Right to Life, and Larry Donlan, director of Rescue the Heartland. The regents voted 7-0 on Dec. 11 that the fetal tissue research should continue and supported efforts to first use alternate sources of tissue.