UPitt to receive state funding amid allegations of harvesting organs from fetuses
The University of Pittsburgh is set to receive state funding after House Republicans scrapped an amendment to bar funding from institutions that conduct fetal tissue research.
The amendment was moved to a separate bill that is awaiting a decision by the Senate.
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf is poised to distribute funding to four state universities after a failed attempt to block the distribution of taxpayer dollars to institutions that conduct research on aborted fetuses.
After the governor’s approval, $40 million of stimulus money is expected to be invested into the state’s higher education institutions- including the University of Pittsburgh (UPitt), which is under investigation after having allegedly harvested organs and tissue from live, aborted fetuses to use for medical research.
Eighty-nine federal lawmakers accused the university violated federal law by abstracting body parts from live babies.
The House Appropriations Committee budget summary shows that UPitt is expected to receive $7.575 million in “general support” in addition to $167,000 for “rural education outreach.”
A university spokesperson told The Pitt News that the money is largely used to offset tuition costs for in-state students:
“The University of Pittsburgh devotes every dollar of the general support appropriation it receives from the state to help support a tuition discount for Pennsylvania students and families,” the statement reads. “We’re optimistic the legislature will preserve this investment in our students.”
Wolf quietly approved the funding earlier this month after Republican lawmakers scrapped language from an amendment in the 2022-2023 state budget that tied funding to the termination of fetal tissue research.
Instead, the provision was written into Senate Bill 442, which regulates rural broadband services. It is currently stalled in the Senate.
Campus Reform has contacted each university and Christi for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
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