Overview
- HHS said the restriction is effective immediately across NIH grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, and intramural programs.
- NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya framed the change as an investment in organoids, tissue chips, and computational biology to better model disease.
- HHS press secretary Emily Hilliard clarified that “elective” refers to abortion on demand rather than medically necessary procedures.
- NIH guidance says established human fetal cell lines, including HEK 293, remain eligible for use under agency funding.
- The announcement coincided with the March for Life, where Vice President J.D. Vance endorsed the move, as the administration also initiated a fraud review of 38 Planned Parenthood affiliates’ PPP loans that the organization disputes.