Title: Safe RESEARCH Act
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Safe Responsible Ethical Scientific Endeavors Assuring Research for Compassionate Healthcare Act or the Safe RESEARCH Act
This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit the use of tissue from an induced abortion in research conducted or supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Research with human fetal tissue or alternatives to human fetal tissue (e.g., stem cells) conducted or supported by the NIH must meet requirements currently applied only to research on the transplantation of human fetal tissue for therapeutic purposes, including requirements for the informed consent of the donor and researcher. Research conducted or supported by the NIH may use human fetal tissue only if the tissue was obtained in accordance with state law regulating anatomical gifts.
Currently, executive branch officials may not prohibit the NIH from conducting or supporting research on the transplantation of human fetal tissue for therapeutic purposes. The bill repeals that limitation on executive branch officials.
The bill repeals a requirement that the NIH fund certain proposals for research on the transplantation of human fetal tissue for therapeutic purposes.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1203 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1203

To amend the Public Health Service Act to prohibit research with human 
 fetal tissue obtained pursuant to an abortion, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 17, 2017

 Mr. Sensenbrenner (for himself, Mr. Duncan of South Carolina, and Mr. 
    Duffy) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to prohibit research with human 
 fetal tissue obtained pursuant to an abortion, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Safe Responsible Ethical Scientific 
Endeavors Assuring Research for Compassionate Healthcare Act'' or the 
``Safe RESEARCH Act''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON RESEARCH WITH HUMAN FETAL TISSUE OBTAINED 
              PURSUANT TO AN ABORTION.

    (a) In General.--Section 498A of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 289g-1) is amended--
            (1) in the section heading, by striking ``research on 
        transplantation of fetal tissue'' and inserting ``research with 
        fetal tissue'';
            (2) by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:
    ``(a) Establishment of Program.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary may conduct or support 
        research with human fetal tissue, or research on modern, 
        efficient alternatives to human fetal tissue such as organoids, 
        induced pluripotent stem cells, and adult stem cells. The 
        Secretary shall conduct or support any such research in 
        accordance with this section.
            ``(2) Source of tissue.--Human fetal tissue may be used in 
        research carried out under paragraph (1) only if the tissue is 
        obtained pursuant to a stillbirth.'';
            (3) in subsection (b)(2)--
                    (A) by striking subparagraph (A); and
                    (B) by redesignating subparagraphs (B) and (C) as 
                subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively;
            (4) in subsection (c)(1)(B), by striking ``may have been 
        obtained pursuant to a spontaneous or induced abortion or 
        pursuant to a stillbirth'' and inserting ``has been obtained 
        pursuant to a stillbirth'';
            (5) in subsection (e), by adding at the end the following 
        new paragraph:
            ``(3) Human fetal tissue obtained for research.--In 
        research carried out under subsection (a), human fetal tissue 
        may be used only if such tissue was obtained in accordance with 
        applicable State law regulating anatomical gifts.''; and
            (6) by amending subsection (g) to read as follows:
    ``(g) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Human fetal tissue.--The term `human fetal tissue' 
        means tissue or cells obtained from a dead human embryo or 
        fetus after a stillbirth.
            ``(2) Stillbirth.--The term `stillbirth' means a fetal 
        death that occurs as a result of natural causes during a 
        pregnancy, including an ectopic pregnancy.''.
    (b) Technical Amendment.--Paragraph (1) of section 498B(e) of the 
Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 289g-2(e)(1)) is amended to read 
as follows:
            ``(1) The term `human fetal tissue' means tissue or cells 
        obtained from a dead human embryo or fetus after a spontaneous 
        or induced abortion, or after a stillbirth.''.
    (c) Revision of Regulations.--Not later than one year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services shall revise such regulations as necessary, including section 
46.206 of title 45, Code of Federal Regulations, to incorporate the 
requirements of this section.
    (d) Repeal.--Section 113 of the National Institutes of Health 
Revitalization Act of 1993 (42 U.S.C. 289g-1 note) is hereby repealed.
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