{"id":242898,"date":"2021-04-13T09:39:54","date_gmt":"2021-04-13T14:39:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=242898"},"modified":"2021-04-12T18:26:21","modified_gmt":"2021-04-12T23:26:21","slug":"fresh-tissue-emails-fda-callousness-aborted-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/fresh-tissue-emails-fda-callousness-aborted-children\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Fresh tissue is always our preference’: E-mails between FDA and tissue procurer reveal callousness toward aborted children"},"content":{"rendered":"
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E-mail communications recently obtained<\/a>\u00a0from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reveal that the agency has spent tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars to purchase human fetal tissue for the creation of \u201chumanized mice<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0The disturbing e-mail exchanges<\/a>\u00a0between\u00a0FDA research veterinary medical official Dr. Kristina Howard and Perrin Larton<\/a>, a procurement manager at the California-based Advanced Bioscience Resources<\/a> (ABR<\/a>), took place from January 2011 to April 2018. The e-mails were obtained by Judicial Watch as a result of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)\u00a0lawsuit.<\/a><\/p>\n

Perhaps most striking about the conversations is the manner in which once living human babies \u2014 violently killed by abortion at various abortion businesses across the country \u2014\u00a0were dehumanized and reduced to mere “tissue” or body parts.<\/p>\n

In the subject column of the e-mails was the acronym “HFT,” which stands for<\/a> “human fetal tissue.” While the lives of the babies were never discussed in the e-mails, organs obtained from once live children were described as “tissue,” and included such descriptors as \u201cbeautiful.\u201d Grief was only expressed in the e-mails when such “tissue” had been rendered unusable.<\/p>\n

The 2012 contract<\/a> between the FDA and ABR indicated that human fetal tissue (thymus\/liver) from aborted babies between 16 and 24 weeks was to be sent\u00a0twice monthly and shipped “fresh” on “wet ice.” Live Action News previously documented past accusations of live aborted fetuses being shipped on ice for research\u00a0here<\/a>.\u00a0A June 18, 2018,\u00a0e-mail<\/a>\u00a0revealed ongoing purchase orders were written for “sets of tissue.”<\/p>\n

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FDA contract for human fetal tissue 16 to 24 weeks shipped on ice with Advanced Bioscience Resources ABR aborted<\/p><\/div>\n

Human babies were more valuable dead than alive<\/strong><\/p>\n

On May 9, 2013,\u00a0Howard complained<\/a> to Larton that because FedEx had X-rayed packages containing fetal organs, “the tissues could not be used.”<\/p>\n

Larton responded, \u201cDAMN \u2026 they were wonderful tissues. I procured them! I\u2019m training a new tech in Minneapolis and I told her how important it is to put the DO NOT X-RAY stickers on the package. Of course if you have an IMBECILE on the FedEx side\u2026 but then, now it\u2019s a moot point.\u201d<\/p>\n

Howard replied, \u201cYes, we were absolutely heartbroken. \u00a0They were beautiful tissues and to lose them like that was awful.\u201d<\/p>\n

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FDA correspondence with ABR aborted Human Fetal Tissue Fed Ex unusable<\/p><\/div>\n

“Fresh” aborted baby parts preferred for experimentation<\/strong><\/p>\n

The overriding concern was not the baby from whom the “tissue” had come but whether or not the “tissue” would arrive in time to be surgically implanted on the mice.\u00a0When “fresh tissue” was not available, “frozen tissue” was sometimes used but the e-mails noted that “fresh” was preferred.<\/p>\n

On August 5, 2016, an unidentified person informed<\/a> Howard and ABR that they were \u201cnot able to procure for you today.\u201d Howard replied, \u201cGiven how old the mice are (12 weeks) we will use frozen tissue. Fresh tissue is always our preference, but I don\u2019t think we can wait another week. We are going to receive more mice in early Sept so we will try for more tissue then….\u201d<\/p>\n

Larton responded, “It’s so frustrating. We’re also working with a new doctor in one of the busiest clinics … not a good combo! The tissue is awful!”<\/p>\n

A May 25, 2017, e-mail<\/a> indicated “HFT” tissue would be needed when “mice needed to be made” or the lab was about to get a shipment of mice for “surgery.”<\/p>\n

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FDA correspondence with ABR Human Fetal Tissue procurement for humanized mice<\/p><\/div>\n

July 2015, Howard pressed Larton for “tissue’ because, she claimed, “we have one last group that is approaching ‘too old’ to do surgery on….”<\/p>\n

Procurement agency complained about “slow” abortion days resulting in shortage of “tissue”<\/strong><\/p>\n

On July 13, 2015, Larton complained about a slow day at an abortion facility, writing, “Last week was very strange. One clinic where traditionally they do 30-45 surgeries on their surgery day… had 13. Amazingly slow. I’ll prioritize your request… since your mice are rapidly aging out!”<\/p>\n

On January 17, 2015, Larton had explained to Howard that “tissue availability varies from week to week.”<\/p>\n

And on January 28, 2015,\u00a0Larton wrote, “…We only had one clinic with 2nd trimester tissue today. We’re working with two clinics in the Philadelphia\/New Jersey area and due to the storm … they didn’t have clinic yesterday or today. We’re hoping for better tomorrow…”<\/p>\n

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FDA correspondence with ABR aborted Human Fetal Tissue procurement slow killing days<\/p><\/div>\n

Sex of child used for research specified<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2012, Larton\u00a0explained<\/a> why the sex of the baby may difficult to identify \u2014 in short, because an abortion tears apart a preborn child: “The techs were not able to identify the gender. We only can check external genitalia and if it’s not there… due to the nature of the termination procedure… we have no way of telling.”<\/p>\n

On June 9, 2016,\u00a0Howard told<\/a> Larton, “We have a very important and timing-wise, challenging surgery the week of June 20th. We will be making dual humanized BLT mice (human liver and the BLT surgery) at the same time. This requires coordination of tissue from ABR and the hepatocytes. We prefer male tissue for this delivery…”<\/p>\n

Larton replied, \u201cDoes the tissue HAVE to come from a male fetus? \u00a0It really helps when we can send either, especially since this is an important and time sensitive surgery.\u201d<\/p>\n

“It is strongly preferred to have a male fetus if at all possible,” Howard told Larton.<\/p>\n

“However, after we dose the mice, we have to proceed with the surgery, so at that point undetermined sex or female is better than no tissue. I know in some cases it is impossible to tell what the sex is, however, I don’t know what proportion of your tissues are in that category. Okay, given all information, let’s go with either… As always liver and thymus tissue… As you say, getting the tissue is most important so we don’t lose the animals in this surgery…” Howard wrote.<\/p>\n

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FDA correspondence with ABR aborted Human Fetal Tissue procurement male specified various<\/p><\/div>\n

E-mails expose frustration over Jewish holidays and use of digoxin<\/strong><\/p>\n

On September 22, 2017, Larton wrote<\/a> to Howard, “…The specimen is 15 weeks. Due to the Rosh Hashanah holiday… the clinics were closed yesterday … so no real large tissue today…”<\/p>\n

Howard responded, “Understood. I didn’t realize the holiday would interfere with clinic operations…”<\/p>\n

Larton then replied, “We didn’t either… but… many of the doctors are Jewish!”<\/p>\n

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FDA correspondence with ABR aborted Human Fetal Tissue Jewish doctors and holidays<\/p><\/div>\n

Another complaint centered around the use of digoxin, a chemical used to stop the preborn child’s heart, which can sometimes fail<\/a> to kill the baby and harm the mother.<\/p>\n

A\u00a0video released<\/a>\u00a0by Pro-Life San Francisco claimed preborn babies used in fetal tissue experiments are generally not given digoxin prior to being dismembered during abortions because the “feticide severely compromised the quality of the fetal tissue.”<\/p>\n