Research recruitment in abortion clinics: evidence from women asked to donate fetal tissue for research

Human fetal tissue (HFT) has played a pivotal role in many areas of biomedical research. Vaccines developed using HFT have saved millions of lives worldwide, and HFT is the only way to study developmental processes that are not fully recapitulated in animal, cell-based, or organoid model systems. Since its inception, HFT research has been a topic of ethical debate and regulation due to its link to abortion, with the most recent policy change in 2019 amounting to a de facto ban of federally-funded HFT research that was reversed by the incoming Biden administration. To date, the ethical debate surrounding HFT donation for research has proceeded without the benefit of empirical data to guide policy decisions. Intending to fill this gap, we share results from an empirical study investigating the perspectives of pregnant women seeking abortion towards HFT donation. We conducted qualitative interviews with a sample of over 40 women who chose, or declined, to donate HFT. Results revealed that current policy requirements governing informed consent for HFT donation—intended to protect the decisional autonomy of potential donors—may in fact serve to undermine it. In addition, the majority of those who chose to donate HFT feel invested in the research and motivated to learn results. We conclude with recommendations, crafted in close collaboration with partnering clinics, for changes to recruitment procedures and long-term policy amendments that could improve the experience of potential participants recruited for research through abortion clinics.

Lucy Cort – Pediatrics – University of Washington; Jennifer Dempsey – Pediatrics – University of Washington; Ian Glass – Pediatrics – University of Washington; Lyndsey Benson – Obstetrics & Gynecoolgy – University of Washington