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Panel hears bill to ban sale or purchase of human bodies, including fetal tissue; universities, biotech ask clarifying amendments
Summary
Senate Bill 154 would ban sale or purchase of whole human bodies and human fetal tissue; witnesses for and against the bill told the House Judiciary Committee the sponsor's intent is to prevent commercial markets for fetal remains while opponents sought exemptions for medical education and established lab cell lines.
Senate Bill 154, sponsored in committee by Senator Daniel Emmerich, would prohibit the sale or purchase of whole human bodies and human fetal tissue and amend definitions in the Anatomical Gift Act.
Supporters framed the bill as closing a perceived legal loophole that could permit commerce in fetal tissue. Derek Oestreicher, chief legal counsel for the Montana Family Foundation, told the committee that federal law allows reimbursement for procurement or storage that could function as a loophole and said, "The remains of an unborn child should not be treated as a commodity to be bought and sold." Other…
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