Bill to Label ‘Fetal Tissue Food’ Raises Eyebrows in Texas

A Republican state legislator in Texas raised eyebrows by initiating a bill to label food products containing tissue from aborted human fetuses. This led critics and the US Food and Drug Administration to warn there are no such foods in the United States.

‘There Are No Such Foods’

The state bill seeking to expose “fetal tissue” in food was initiated in Texas by Republican state Sen. Bob Hall as a way of taking further “anti-abortion measures,” Chron reported.

However, the report points out the draft legislation caused “people to scratch their heads” because there is no such food in existence in the United States.

An FDA official told the outlet under “no conditions” would the body deem the addition of human fetal tissue to be either “safe” or “legal” to be consumed by humans. Hall initiated his SN 314 law (Senate Bill number 314) in the form of an amendment to Texas’s Health and Safety Code.

His draft law seeks to expose foods that not only may contain human fetal tissue, but which may have been made using such, or may have been created via research doing so.

Hall’s office put out an information leaflet, insisting “fetal tissue food products” should be labeled just like vegan, organic, or kosher products because that would let “consumers” make informed choices based on personal or religious “preferences.”

The one-page leaflet states many people in Texas “unknowingly” consume food containing “human fetal parts” or products developed through the use of those.

It adds “some” people “may not be bothered” by such food ingredients,” but “many Texans” do hold such moral and religious beliefs, which lead them to oppose using “these products.”

The state senator’s office also says Texans are entitled to be aware of their food’s contents.

It’s the Research That Matters Most

The report comments that the leaflet seems to imply some parts of the population are “comfortable eating fetal tissue.” Chron contacted Hall’s office asking what foods contain fetal tissue according to the Republican state senator.

His office did not respond directly, but stated that foods containing no fetal tissue wouldn’t need any labeling, as per his draft legislation. The bill defines “human fetus tissue” as that “obtained” from the body of an “aborted unborn child.”

So as defined, food products with human fetal tissue would include those developed via research that used human fetal cells.

The report points out the best-known fetal cell line is called HEK 293, a cell line derived from the kidneys of aborted unborn infants, which has caused controversy ever since its first usage back in the 1970s.

Hall’s one-page leaflet emphasizes that flavor receptors from HEK-293 “are used” for the development of “artificial flavor additives.”

The Chron report also acknowledges a “recurring rumor” dating back to 2011 and claims that PepsiCo has been using cells from aborted fetuses in its drinks.

This article appeared in Mainstpress and has been published here with permission.

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