Washington, DC - Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) issued the following statement today in reaction to recently announced studies showing significant progress in finding potential cures for Zika and Dengue, two viruses that are closely related.
“I am extremely pleased with recent studies showing potential cures for Dengue fever and the Zika virus. Both diseases are causing untold pain and suffering to thousands of people. Both of these scientific breakthroughs show a solution to end these crippling diseases is on the horizon," Blackburn said. “I find it very interesting that this news comes in direct contrast to accusations made by Democrats and their witnesses during our March 2nd hearing on Bioethics and Fetal Tissue where they claimed that the work of our panel would slow down progress on efforts to find a vaccine for the Zika virus."
During the Select Investigative Panel’s March 2nd hearing on Bioethics and Fetal Tissue, witnesses for the Democrats repeatedly claimed that progress on the Zika virus would require fetal tissue research. When asked about the need for fetal tissue in understanding the implications of the Zika virus, Dr. Lawrence Goldstein told the Select Panel that “if you want to understand the Zika virus, the most efficient place to start is with the fetal tissue that is infected. That just seems self-evident to me." Only days later, The Washington Post cited an academic article that reported a breakthrough about how the Zika virus infects the brain of preborn children. The discovery had been made through research using not fetal tissue, but induced pluripotent stem cells - an adult stem cell research tool that won the Nobel Prize in 2012.
The Democrats and their witnesses repeatedly cited vaccines as also requiring fetal tissue. But today it was reported that the first level trial on human subjects of a Dengue fever vaccine has been a success. The vaccine was developed using monkey and mosquito cells - not the organs of unborn babies.
“Loud and clear, Democrats have abused the hopes of those who are suffering with the claim that our investigative efforts would interfere with potentially life-saving research. This kind of political rhetoric demeans our commitment to an open and honest discussion and these recently reported discoveries show their claims to be patently false," said Blackburn.
