[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 146 (Tuesday, September 27, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H5915-H5919]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DANGEROUS, CHILLING EFFECT OF REPUBLICAN SELECT PANEL
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from
Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky) for 5 minutes.
[[Page H5916]]
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, last week, Republicans on the panel they
call the Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives, which we call the
Select Panel to Attack Women's Health, voted to recommend criminal
contempt against a small biotech company and its owner and also release
publicly the name of a doctor who has been interviewed privately by
that panel. These actions are a disgrace to the House.
Over the past year, the select panel Republicans have abused
congressional authority to harass, intimidate, and bully doctors and
researchers, with the ultimate goal of driving companies away from
fetal tissue research and ending lifesaving research. They have done
this largely out of the public view and, ironically, at the same time
that Chair Blackburn and other leading Republicans profess support for
researchers and for funding 21st century cures.
Tragically, their stealth campaign against lifesaving research is
working. One tissue procurement company informed the panel that: ``Due
in large part to the costs borne from having to respond to these
congressional inquiries, our client is no longer doing business.''
The University of California at Los Angeles told us that ``recent
national events have increased the challenge of obtaining the fetal
tissues'' needed for ongoing research. The negative publicity about
fetal tissue research also delayed publication of a study whose
findings have the potential to impact ``development of therapies for
HIV, cancer, multiple sclerosis, asthma, and organ transplant
rejection.''
UCLA went on to explain that one lab ``has reduced their effort on
studies that require fetal tissues, despite the importance of this
research, due to concerns about personal safety.''
Rockefeller University similarly told the panel that there is now ``a
paucity of sources from which to obtain human fetal tissue, creating
roadblocks to the conduct of important biomedical research'' and that
one laboratory is ``currently unavailable to perform research that it
hopes will lead to cures for human disease.''
Other researchers have reported that promising studies and clinical
trials for neurological conditions, such as MS and Alzheimer's disease,
have been halted or delayed due to reduced availability of fetal tissue
for research. Other leading institutions, including Harvard, the Yale
School of Medicine, and the University of Minnesota, have confirmed the
importance of fetal tissue as a tool for understanding and treating
diseases and conditions that impact millions of Americans.
The Republican attacks on this research are particularly troubling as
scientists race to understand how the Zika virus impacts fetal brain
development. A leading association of research scientists has explained
that ``the use of donated fetal tissue, including placental tissue, has
provided the best understanding of how Zika viruses behave in the
body.'' These insights ``are already guiding the development of drugs
that may protect the unborn baby from the ravages of the Zika virus.''
The Republican select panel's dangerous witch hunt has put this
lifesaving research at risk. It is also endangering individual lives.
Last Monday, Chair Blackburn publicly released the name of a
healthcare provider who was privately interviewed by the panel. This
doctor has already been the target of harassment and threats and
repeatedly asked the panel to safeguard her identity. Just last week,
her lawyer informed Chair Blackburn that her university had to increase
security as a result of a prior leak of information by panel
Republicans. Even knowing this, they released her name.
This has gone on long enough. We are elected officials. It is our
opportunity and responsibility to make things better for the people we
serve. That privilege and the power that accompanies it should not be
abused. This select panel should be brought to an immediate end.
Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record letters from the University of
California at Los Angeles, Rockefeller University, and from university
counsel regarding the danger that panel Republicans have created for
this doctor and her students.
University of California,
Los Angeles, CA, September 19, 2016.
Hon. Jan Schakowsky,
Ranking Member, Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives,
Energy and Commerce Committee, House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
Dear Representative Schakowsky: On behalf of the University
of California, Los Angeles (``UCLA''), I have attached UCLA's
response to your letter of July 28, 2016, requesting that
UCLA provide the Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives
with information to better understand the importance of and
risk to fetal tissue research.
UCLA conducts research using fetal tissue that is vital to
an understanding of human biology and to efforts directed
toward new treatments for a wide variety of adult and
childhood diseases and medical conditions. Our research is
conducted in full compliance with federal and state law and
in accordance with our tripartite mission of education,
research, and public service. The information provided below
answers the five specific requests made in your letter.
Please note that UCLA has omitted identifying information
from the enclosed documents based on concerns for the safety
and security of individuals conducting research. Should you
have any questions regarding this response, please contact
me.
Sincerely,
UCLA Health/David Geffen School
of Medicine.
1. Past benefits of fetal tissue research.
Since the 1930's, fetal tissue has been used in a broad
range of research that has led to lifesaving discoveries. The
Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), of which
UCLA is a member, has previously noted that human fetal
tissue research has been critical in establishing permanent
cell lines for use in vaccine research for diseases such as
polio, hepatitis A, measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, and
rabies. These established cell lines are currently being used
to develop an Ebola vaccine.
Fetal tissue proved to be necessary for the production of
consumer vaccines against measles, rubella, rabies, chicken
pox, shingles and hepatitis A. According to the journal
Nature, at least 5.8 billion vaccine doses have been derived
from fetal tissue lines.
2. Potential future benefits that might be gained through continued
fetal research
Biomedical research continues to benefit from the use of
new fetal tissue. According to the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, ``fetal tissue continues to be a critical
resource for important efforts such as research on
degenerative eye disease, human development disorders such as
Down syndrome, and infectious diseases, among a host of other
diseases.''
As noted in the journal Nature, ``In the past 25 years,
fetal cell lines have been used in a roster of medical
advances, including the production of a blockbuster arthritis
drug and therapeutic proteins that fight cystic fibrosis and
hemophilia.'' Yet, existing fetal material and cell lines ``.
. . are of limited use for scientists because they do not
faithfully mimic native tissue and represent only a subset of
cell types. . . . The lines can also accumulate mutations
after replicating in vitro over time.'' New fetal material is
critical if we are to continue to pursue vaccines for HIV and
other diseases as well as create treatments and cures for
devastating illnesses such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's
Disease, blinding eye disorders such a macular degeneration,
diabetes, and schizophrenia.
Our response to question 4 below cites a diverse range of
diseases being studied by UCLA laboratories whose research
requires the use of fetal tissues. These research activities
are critical for the development of new therapies for the
treatment of these diseases.
3. Unique aspects of fetal tissue in research, in comparison with adult
cells or other cellular organisms that might be used for research
purposes
As described in the following summary of research performed
in UCLA laboratories (response to question 4), human fetal
tissues are critical for current and future research
activities for multiple reasons. First, human fetal tissues
exhibit biological properties that are distinct from those of
tissues derived from children or adults, and these
properties, often related to an enhanced capacity for growth
and regeneration, can be highly desirable for the development
of novel therapies. It therefore is critical to understand
the unique properties of fetal tissues, which can be
accomplished only through a direct analysis. Some therapies
under development would require the direct use of fetal
cells, such as recent clinical trials using fetal neural
cells to treat patients with spinal cord injury or
Parkinson's Disease. Most therapies, however, will emerge
from the study of fetal tissues rather than directly
including the cells in the ultimate drug product.
Second, the direct study of human fetal tissues is
essential for an understanding of human development. This
understanding is necessary for the advancement of fundamental
biology, for the pursuit of therapies for the treatment of
developmental diseases, such as Down syndrome and the
microcephaly associated with Zika virus infection, and for
the pursuit of therapies for the treatment of many other
diseases that have been linked to developmental defects,
including several cancers.
Third, human fetal tissues are critical for the
establishment of mouse models for the
[[Page H5917]]
study of human diseases and for the testing of potential new
drugs and other therapies. For example, rodents are highly
valuable for biomedical research, but they are inadequate for
many studies of human disease and for the advanced testing of
new therapies (e.g. HIV does not infect rodent cells). To
circumvent the limitations of rodents, human fetal tissues
can be implanted into immunocompromised mice, thereby
generating an invaluable model system for studies that
require the use of a living animal, such as the testing of
new drugs. Importantly, human fetal tissues are essential for
the establishment of these models due to their unique
properties in comparison to tissues from children and adults.
4. Summary of any research conducted since 2010 that UCLA has been
involved in that used fetal tissue or relied upon other studies that
used fetal tissue
Research laboratories at UCLA studying a wide array of
human diseases have used fetal tissues for their medical
research projects since 2010. A survey of these researchers
resulted in a consistent response that the use of fetal
tissues has been, and will continue to be, essential for
progress in their fields. While much remains to be learned
about the specific properties of fetal tissues, it has been
well-established that their properties are distinct from
those of adult tissues. Fetal cells often differ from other
cells because the fetal cells need to support the rapid
growth and maturation of the tissue during fetal and neonatal
development; in contrast, the functions of cells from
children and adults are usually restricted to maintenance of
the physiological functions of the tissue. An understanding
of the unique properties of fetal cells and tissues is likely
to be of great value for the development of new treatments
for a number of devastating human diseases.
We provide here a summary of seven representative research
efforts at UCLA that rely on fetal tissues and for which the
research is strongly dependent on continued availability of
fetal tissue
CANCER: One project focuses on an effort to improve the
treatment of a form of lymphocyte leukemia in young children.
Although the survival rate of these patients has improved
dramatically, approximately 15% of pediatric patients with
the most aggressive forms of the leukemia continue to die. A
growing body of evidence suggests that these fatal leukemias
may be unusually aggressive because they emerged from a
unique type of B cell progenitor (B cells are white blood
cells that secrete antibodies) generated only during fetal
development. Research recently completed at UCLA has shown
that the genetic regulation of fetal and adult B cell
development is distinct. The aim of the ongoing research is
to identify genes expressed only in fetal B-cell progenitors
that contribute to the development of the aggressive forms of
leukemia observed in young children.
IMMUNITY: Another UCLA research laboratory is immersed in
an analysis of fetal T cells, another important type of white
blood cell generated in the thymus. A primary goal of this
laboratory is to develop improved strategies for rejuvenation
of the immune system in cancer patients and in HIV patients
whose immune systems have been compromised by chronic virus
infection. Human fetal T cell progenitors have been found to
be completely different from progenitors found in children
and adults in their ability to rejuvenate the immune system.
This laboratory has been performing detailed comparisons of
the molecular properties of the fetal and adult cells in an
effort to understand how to speed up immune system
rejuvenation and make the immune system healthier.
As exemplified above, one general reason several UCLA
laboratories rely on fetal tissues for their research is that
an examination of the properties of the fetal tissues is
needed to understand how they differ from older tissues and
from tissues derived from induced pluripotent stem cells
(iPSCs). iPSC are cells with embryonic stem cell like
properties that can be generated from a patient's own skin
cells (by a method developed less than 10 years ago), and
then matured into any of a wide variety of human tissues;
these cells hold great promise for the treatment of many
degenerative and chronic diseases. One goal of the
researchers is to engineer adult cells and iPSC to possess
the unique, beneficial properties of fetal cells. This goal
can be achieved only if the molecular features of the fetal
cells have been clearly defined.
LUNG DISEASES: A UCLA laboratory is pursuing new treatments
for a form of lung disease in infants. A long-term goal is to
treat this disease by generating iPSC from a patient and then
converting the iPSC into therapeutic lung cells. The ultimate
therapy would not require the use of fetal cells. However,
successful development of the therapy depends on an
understanding of the unique properties of fetal lung cells,
which have been found by the UCLA laboratory to grow and
divide far more robustly than comparable cells from children
or adults. The laboratory has developed a disease model that
is being used to understand the unusual growth properties of
he fetal cells and how these properties can be harnessed for
therapeutic benefit.
GENETIC AND MUSCLE DISORDERS: Another UCLA laboratory
studies diseases of muscle, including muscular dystrophy,
toward the goal of regenerating functional muscle in
patients. Similar to the findings with fetal lung, this
laboratory has found that the regenerative capacity of human
fetal muscle cells greatly exceeds that of older muscle
satellite cells. Recent studies of the underlying mechanisms
have revealed possible molecular explanations for the
differences between the fetal cells and older cells. This
professor considers fetal muscle cells to be the ``gold
standard'' for all efforts to develop therapies for
degenerative muscle diseases, due to the powerful and unique
regenerative properties of these cells. Quite simply, for an
understanding of the important differences between fetal
muscle cells and older muscle cells, which are critical for
the development of novel therapies, there is no alternative
to the ability to analyze the fetal tissues themselves. It is
also noteworthy that several of these studies are moving
rapidly toward clinical trials, which necessitates the focus
on human cells rather than rodent models.
HIV: Another reason several researchers rely on the
availability of fetal tissues is that the fetal tissues can
be used to create mice implanted with a specific human
tissue, thereby providing an animal model in which potential
therapies for the treatment of diseases of that human tissue
can be tested. Such mice can eliminate the need for the
testing of therapies in non-human primates, and are often
preferable to studies of non-human primates because they
allow the direct study of human cells.
Some UCLA laboratories use mice containing a human immune
system for their studies of potential HIV therapies. These
mice, which can be generated successfully only with the use
of human fetal cells, are extremely important for progress of
the HIV field, as HIV does not infect rodent cells.
Currently, these mice are being used to study gene therapy
approaches for the treatment of HIV infection, with the
studies leading rapidly toward clinical trials.
BRAIN/SPINAL CORE INJURY: Human fetal tissues are also of
great value for studies of the unique structure of the human
brain, which is dramatically different from that of the mouse
brain. UCLA research has used human embryonic stem cell lines
to generate brain organoids (collections of neuronal cells
that self-assemble into structures that resemble small
portions of the brain). A comparison to fetal brain tissue is
essential for the researchers to evaluate the validity of
their organoid method, which is currently being used to
understand developmental diseases of the brain, as well as
the impact of Zika virus on brain development. The laboratory
hopes to use this model to screen for drugs that may protect
the fetal brain from the growth impairment caused by Zika
virus infection. This same laboratory is also studying
strategies for the generation of spinal cord neurons in the
laboratory, for use in determining the underlying causes of
neurodegenerative diseases, such as spinal muscular atrophy
and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and for screening for
drugs that could slow disease progression and extend patient
lifespan.
INFERTILITY: The final UCLA laboratory discussed in this
report uses fetal tissues for studies aimed at the diagnosis
and treatment of human infertility. State-of-the-art genomics
methods are being used to develop reference maps of germ
cells and of fertilized eggs at the earliest stages of
embryonic development. One goal of these studies is to better
understand the reasons for spontaneous miscarriages. These
studies are strongly dependent on human fetal tissues because
early embryonic development in mice differs substantially
from that in humans. The reference maps being developed by
this laboratory are also of great importance for the study of
germ cell cancers.
5. Description of any recent changes experienced by UCLA in the
availability of fetal tissue for research and the related impact of
these changes, including whether or not there have been interruptions
and/or delays in research as a result.
Most UCLA researchers surveyed emphasized that recent
national events have increased the challenge of obtaining the
fetal tissues required for the research projects described
above. One reputable company was forced to close due to legal
expenses associated with challenges to its operations. This
has delayed important studies and has forced laboratories to
spend a considerable amount of time and resources searching
for alternative suppliers. One laboratory has identified a
reliable source of fetal tissues in Germany. Another
laboratory has reduced their effort on studies that require
fetal tissues, despite the importance of this research, due
to concerns about personal safety. Of further note, recent
publicity surrounding the procurement of fetal tissue delayed
publication of a manuscript submitted by UCLA investigators
to a renowned journal by more than seven months. The findings
reported in that study have the potential to impact the
development of therapies for HIV, cancer, multiple sclerosis,
asthma, and organ transplant rejection.
____
The Rockefeller University,
New York, New York, September 21, 2016.
Hon. Jan Schakowsky,
Ranking Member, Select Investigative Panel, House of
Representatives, Committee on Energy and Commerce,
Washington, DC.
Dear Congresswoman Schakowsky: The Rockefeller University
offers our response to your request for information regarding
the importance and availability of fetal tissue as a critical
resource in aspects of our scientific
[[Page H5918]]
research. We set forth below your concerns and our responses.
Past benefits of fetal tissue research
Human fetal cells and tissues have had a decisive and major
impact on our current understanding of the molecular and
cellular origins of human organs and tissues. Human fetal
tissues have allowed researchers to explore and understand
the biology and uniqueness of human development. This
knowledge has translated into the rational design of both
treatment and prevention of numerous human diseases and has
saved innumerable human lives.
Fetal tissue has contributed directly to the improvement of
child and adult human health. In the 1960s, cell lines
derived from fetal tissue were used to manufacture vaccines
including those that counter measles, rubella, rabies,
chicken pox, shingles and hepatitis A, cumulatively saving
millions of lives. The rubella vaccine alone eliminates 5,000
miscarriages each year.
Fetal tissue has been used to uncover disease pathways that
overlap with natural developmental processes and may guide
development of therapeutic treatments for heart disease.
Fetal cell lines have been used in medical advances for the
production of pharmaceuticals, including an arthritis drug
and therapeutic proteins that fight cystic fibrosis and
hemophilia. Every indication emphatically supports the notion
that further understanding of degenerative diseases such as
Alzheimer's, Huntington's, and a host of other devastating
and as yet incurable conditions, depend specifically on
access to fetal tissue.
Ongoing fetal tissue research is critical for continued
advances in regenerative medicine, including organ/tissue
regeneration of heart, liver, pancreas, lung, muscle, skin,
and more, holding out hope for a wide variety of therapeutic
discoveries.
Human tissue-based models for studying uniquely human viral
diseases are important for understanding mechanisms of
disease progression and developing preventive measures and
therapies. Fetal tissue has been used to build increasingly
complex models of human disease. A single human fetal liver
yields material sufficient to produce dozens of humanized
mice. Certain human viruses are severely host-range
restricted, meaning they infect humans and no other animals.
Fetal tissues are essential for production of humanized mice
that can be used in learning about such uniquely human
conditions.
Potential future benefits that might be gained through continued fetal
tissue research
Future benefits of fetal tissue research will include the
enhancement of our basic knowledge of human development. It
will inevitably impact clinical approaches and provide new
means to address currently incurable diseases by providing
new technological platforms. Scientists have used information
gleaned from studies of motor neuron development to guide
stem cells to become neurons and establish stem cell-derived
models of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a currently
untreatable and fatal disease. These models have allowed
researchers to develop new drugs that already are being used
in clinical trials to treat ALS. Another of the most
promising novel technical platforms in regenerative medicine
is using cell-based therapy strategies to replace defective
organs rather than attempting to repair the diseased tissue.
For some conditions, potential future benefits must be
gained by human fetal tissue research. Certain humanized mice
can be produced best with human fetal tissues. Such mice are
unique in their ability to support long term infection, thus
allowing evaluation of therapies aimed at finding cures.
It is increasingly important to study infection, disease
mechanisms and antiviral interventions in human cells. Fetal
tissue provides a rich source of stem cells for studies in
cell culture and also engraftment into small animals that can
then be used to model infection, disease progression and test
therapies. These provide valuable preclinical models that
increase the chances of success before progressing to human
clinical trials.
Investigators continue to mine existing gene expression
information from fetal tissue samples in order to understand
gene function and growth-regulating pathways encountered in
normal versus tumor samples. Much that applies to cancer can
be learned from gene expression analysis in organ
development.
Wide ranges of adult diseases and disorders have their
origin during very early human development. Examples include
types 1 and 2 diabetes, schizophrenia, and Huntington's
disease. Knowledge of how the human fetus generates discrete
organs will provide the blueprint for applying human
embryonic stem cells for the generation of specific organs
used for supportive and regenerative medicine.
Unique aspects of fetal tissue in research
Neither adult stem cells, nor reprogrammed somatic cells
approach the versatility and quality of the natural stem
cells derived from the fetus which remains the best resource
for regenerative medicine. Model organisms, from the fruit
fly to rodents, unfortunately cannot fully model human
diseases.
We are aware of how many times promising solutions for
diabetes, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases have been
shown to cure the mouse or rat but fail when tested in
humans. The human neocortex, for example, contains cells and
anatomy that are specifically human, and not found even in
other primates. Fetal tissue provides a unique source of
human cells that have the potential to be used directly or
engrafted into immunodeficient animals. Human fetal tissue
offers an important and unique resource for basic and medical
research. There is no comparable substitute for fetal tissue
for the accurate understanding of human development.
The adult immune system is ``educated'' to reject animal
hosts, complicating the creation and production of animal
models with humanized immune systems. In contrast to the
adult, fetal immune cells have not yet been educated and
therefore do not recognize the host as foreign. As a result,
fetal tissues do not reject the host but rather are
engrafted, leading to a chimera that is composed of mouse
tissues and human immune cells. These mice are uniquely
suited to finding cures through research.
Modern technologies have opened the door to studying the
cellular interplay in complex human tissues during their
development, normal, and disease states, as well as in aging.
From single-cell expression analysis of fetal tissue, a great
deal about intracellular communication can be learned that
will increase our understanding of how normal as well as
malignant growth is governed, and how therapeutic
interventions may take advantage of these molecular programs.
Recent changes experienced in the availability of fetal tissue for
research
Currently, there is a paucity of sources from which to
obtain human fetal tissue, creating roadblocks to the conduct
of important biomedical research. Entities that previously
provided the sources of human fetal tissue have either
closed, due to external pressure, or currently offer more
limited options than previously proffered.
Laboratories have experienced significant difficulties in
securing fetal tissue for research. One lab reported: We used
to receive fetal tissue once or more every week. Over the
past year, the supply of fetal tissue has dwindled and become
increasingly unavailable and unreliable--to the point where
we can no longer depend on this important resource for our
studies.
Another lab despaired: In the past, our laboratory was able
to obtain fetal tissues nearly every week. For the last
several months, we have been unable to obtain any fetal
tissue. Humanized mouse production has come to a standstill,
and we are currently unable to perform research that we hope
will lead to cures for human disease.
Thank you for your interest in our research and the
challenges it faces. I hope you find the information provided
here responsive to your questions.
____
McDermott Will & Emery,
September 20, 2016.
Re Proposed Disclosure of Code Name Dr. Administrator's
Deposition Transcript.
Hon. Marsha Blackburn, Chairman,
Hon. Jan Schakowsky, Ranking Member,
House Select Panel on Infant Lives,
Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Blackburn: I am writing today on behalf of my
client, the University of New Mexico (``UNM'') with regard to
the notice posted by the Select Panel on its website last
night of a business meeting on September 21, 2016. The Select
Panel has proposed the meeting to consider, among other
items, a resolution to release of the deposition transcript
of UNM's doctor, code name: Dr. Administrator, who you
publicly named in your online notice.
UNM objects to a vote to release the transcript at this
time. The Select Panel would violate its own rules if it
released the deposition transcript without having afforded
the witness or counsel to review the transcript as required
by the governing deposition regulations. See 161 Cong. Rec.
E21-01 para.18 (``If a witness's testimony is transcribed,
the witness or the witness's counsel shall be afforded an
opportunity to review a copy. No later than five days
thereafter, the witness may submit suggested changes to the
chair.'') In fact, UNM counsel addressed this very issue with
the Select Panel majority staff by email as recently as
September 12, 2016 and offered to review the transcript in
the Select Panel's office and at staff's convenience. See
email from UNM Counsel, at Attachment 1. Majority staff never
responded to this offer.
UNM continues to have grave concerns about the Select Panel
Majority's repeated, intentional public disclosure of the
names of its doctors, first in the Interim Report from July
2016, and again in the notice published on the Select Panel's
website on September 19, 2016. UNM has asked repeatedly for
over six months for assurances that the Select Panel would
not disclose the names of its doctors or staff, who UNM has
shown are in grave danger of harassment or worse by
extremists who oppose their profession. One UNM doctor gave
sworn testimony detailing the harassment and threats that
this doctor and others have already received, both at their
homes and at work. She laid out for the members of the Panel
in her deposition why her name and the names of other doctors
and staff should not be disclosed. She described the real
fear these doctors carry with them each day. At various
points your staff provided assurances to UNM counsel that
they would take measures to protect the privacy and safety of
UNM staff. The most recent and totally unnecessary online
publication of a UNM doctor's name directly contravenes all
of these assurances.
[[Page H5919]]
From the very beginning of this inquiry, UNM has expressed
its well-grounded concerns regarding the safety and well-
being of its students, faculty and staff. The potential for
harm to these individuals is real and demonstrable. This is
evidenced by the deadly attack at a Planned Parenthood clinic
in Colorado last year--an attack where the assailant killed,
among others, a police officer--as well as the specific death
threats recently received by individuals connected to the
procurement of fetal tissue. One of those death threats
prompted an investigation by the FBI, and the arrest of an
individual who made that specific threat. Counsel to UNM
expressed these specific concerns repeatedly in
correspondence to the Select Panel on January 29, February
16, February 19, March 3, April 11, and May 19 of 2016, and
in various email correspondence.
The repeated public disclosure of these names demonstrates
a knowing and intentional disregard for the safety of UNM
personnel by the Select Panel Majority, who has been on
notice since January 2016 of the charged environment
surrounding these professionals and the potential danger they
face. Going forward, the members of the Select Panel who vote
in favor of this resolution to release the deposition
transcript will personally bear responsibility for any harm
that comes to these individuals.
UNM requests that if the Select Panel adopts a resolution
to release the transcript, whether prematurely in violation
of its rules or after UNM has had a chance to review it, that
the Select Panel redact the UNM doctor's name from the
transcript. The fact that the Select Panel has previously
published the doctor's name does not excuse it from an
ongoing obligation to avoid endangering UNM staff. Secondly,
UNM requests that the Select Panel postpones the disclosure
of the transcript by a minimum of a week so that UNM can work
with local law enforcement and campus security to put
additional security measures in place to protect students and
staff.
Sincerely,
Stephen M. Ryan.
____________________