{"id":177568,"date":"2018-01-10T08:51:44","date_gmt":"2018-01-10T13:51:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=177568"},"modified":"2018-01-12T11:04:55","modified_gmt":"2018-01-12T16:04:55","slug":"university-new-mexico-investigates-fetal-tissue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/university-new-mexico-investigates-fetal-tissue\/","title":{"rendered":"Pediatrician who used aborted baby brains is suspended"},"content":{"rendered":"
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University of New Mexico Health Science Center (UNMHSC) pediatrician Dr. Robin Ohls, made infamous by headlines over her work with aborted baby brains<\/a>, is currently on suspension. The Albuquerque Journal reports<\/a>\u00a0that Ohls’ research has been suspended “while investigating her transfer of human tissue to a private company and whether she had the proper approvals for any underlying study, internal documents show.”\u00a0And UNMHSC also says that their entire fetal tissue research program is currently on hold.<\/p>\n

\"Ohls

Dr. Robin Ohls<\/p><\/div>\n

The Journal also reports<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Officials suspended Dr. Robin Ohls\u2019 research duties and barred her from her lab in October after learning she had acquired fetal tissue for months from the Southwestern Women\u2019s Options abortion clinic and transferred it to a private company in Michigan, according to an internal memo obtained by the Journal.<\/p>\n

UNM Health Sciences Center staff discovered the practice when Ohls asked if the company could reimburse the university to help cover her lab assistant\u2019s salary, since the assistant had spent time preparing the samples for transport, the memo states.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Albuquerque news station KRQE reports<\/a>:<\/p>\n

UNM Health Services says it can\u2019t comment any further, but said, \u201c\u2026research must be conducted according to the highest ethical and legal standards.\u201d UNM says at this point no other fetal tissue research is happening at the Health Sciences Center now that this professor\u2019s research has been put on hold.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Controversy is nothing new for UNMHSC and its fetal tissue program. Live Action News first reported on Dr. Robin Ohls<\/a>\u00a0in the summer of 2016. The House Select Panel on Infant Lives’ investigation<\/a> of fetal tissue practices targeted UNM and its medical facility, among others, after receiving mounds of internal documents and evidence. That story, “Nightmare lab: University pediatrician builds career on baby parts research<\/a>,” has the background on Ohls and her connections to using fetal tissue in her research lab.<\/p>\n

\"University<\/a>

University of New Mexico<\/p><\/div>\n

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UNMHSC’s history of aborted baby research<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

This suspension, which apparently happened in October but was kept under wraps, specifically involves Ohls’ dealings with the Zietchick Research Institute<\/a> (ZRI), which the Albuquerque Journal reports<\/a> is a one-person operation, founded and run by Dr. Tammy Movsas. ZRI’s website says it is “the only vision research center in the world focused on optimizing maternal\/infant eye health by developing new treatments for eye disorders that affect both infants and pregnant women. Dr. Tammy Z Movsas\u2019 (ZRI\u2019s founder) background in pediatric ophthalmology and maternal\/child epidemiology helped spark the novel idea that pregnancy-related hormones can affect the development of the infant eye as well as contribute to eye problems encountered during pregnancy.” The Institute was founded in 2012.<\/p>\n

It is this organization’s connection to Ohls that triggered Ohls’ suspension. The\u00a0Journal<\/a> cites the contents of a confidential memo, which was written to the UNM Board of Regents by Dr. Paul Roth, HSC chancellor, and Elsa Cole, university counsel, outlining the concerns about Ohls from UNMHSC:<\/p>\n

HSC staff was concerned that: 1) an issue was being raised that would potentially infringe on the University\u2019s policy to not buy or sell human tissue, and 2) appropriate research compliance approvals and processes protocols had not been followed,\u201d the memo states.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This issue arose when Ohls asked for money to pay her lab assistant for preparing the samples for transport. The paper reports:<\/p>\n

HSC staff relayed their concerns about Ohls\u2019 research to Larson, who immediately ordered an investigation, the memo states. Roth and the chairs of HSC\u2019s Human Research and Rights Committee and its Human Tissue Oversight Committee were also apprised.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Roth ultimately suspended all Ohls\u2019 research duties \u201cand barred her from access to her lab pending completion of this investigation,\u201d the memo said.<\/p>\n

Where do the eyes come from?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

ZRI is focused on eye health, and Ohls has conducted research on aborted baby eyes in the past. This highlighted research article, posted by NMAFL<\/a>, is authored by Ohls and other academic and medical researchers and details the study they did on fetal eyes.<\/p>\n

This study is cited by the House Select Panel in its criminal referral, issued to New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas in June of 2016.\u00a0 \"\" <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The “Doctor #3” cited here has been previously identified as late-term abortionist Curtis Boyd, who had already indicated his support and work with Dr. Ohls, as evidenced by this letter obtained by NMAFL and also cited in the House Select Panel’s referral to Balderas.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\"\" <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Boyd’s Southwestern Women’s Options facilities commit abortions<\/a> even into the third trimester using the induction method of abortion, which is usually committed at 25 weeks gestation or later:<\/p>\n