Ethics Opinions

Minimizing and mitigating conflicts of interest in clinical research is required in order to justify and maintain trust in the medical research community.

The use of fetal tissue for research purposes raises a number of ethical considerations, including the degree to which a woman’s decision to have an abortion might be influenced by the opportunity to donate fetal tissue. Physicians who are involved in research that uses human fetal tissue have a responsibility to protect the interests of pregnant women as well as the integrity of science.