The University of New Mexico Health Services officials may have suspected that there would be public outrage if they released documents showing that one of its research programs used late-term aborted babies’ eyeballs. When the New Mexico Alliance for Life requested documents related to the research, the group said the publicly-funded university did not cooperate.
This week, the pro-life alliance filed a lawsuit against the university for allegedly breaking state law by withholding records about the research study, according to the Albuquerque Journal.
“UNMHSC is either violating federal law, by not maintaining documents required by federal regulations or also breaking state law by withholding specific documents requested from a 2015 study using extracted eyeballs from babies aborted up to 24 weeks gestation from late-term abortionist Curtis Boyd,” said Elisa Martinez, executive director of the alliance.
The report provides more details about the lawsuit:
The lawsuit by Michael J. Seibel, who represents the New Mexico Alliance for Life, contends UNM Health Sciences Center violated the state Inspection of Public Records Act by failing to release documents he requested from a 2015 study “that used extracted eyeballs from babies aborted up to 24 weeks gestation,” according to a statement from the group.
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Meanwhile, on Tuesday a U.S. House investigative panel formally issued subpoenas to UNM and Southwestern Women’s Options in Albuquerque in connection with the harvesting and transfer of fetal parts for medical research. Both organizations have said they plan to cooperate with House investigators. Scientists and researchers who analyze and study fetal tissue contend that the science is ethical and helps find cures for diseases.
In his lawsuit, Seibel said he requested documents related to the university’s fetal research program to determine whether it violated state or federal laws, as well as the health center’s internal policies. The lawsuit said his request was designed partly to determine the “scientific merit” of the fetal research. It also aims to determine whether women were adequately informed of the research and that their health was protected.
Federal law requires the records to be retained for at least three years after the research is completed, Seibel said.
The lawsuit claims that UNM’s response to Seibel’s request was that it “did not identify any records specifically responsive” and that it would provide them if such records were located. Seibel’s lawsuit claims the response is “patently absurd.”
The pro-life group pointed to a study published in 2015 about human eye development as evidence that the university researchers used aborted babies’ eyeballs. The study was funded by grants from taxpayer funded institutions, the Department of Pediatrics, University of New Mexico and a National Institute of Health award, according to the group.
University researchers likely obtain aborted babies’ body parts from late-term abortionist Curtis Boyd. Until recently, the university also partnered with Boyd’s abortion clinic to train some of its medical students, LifeNews previously reported. A university spokesperson said they do not pay Boyd for the aborted babies’ body parts. The abortion facility also did not receive money to train the medical students, leading some to question whether the students’ work was exchanged for the aborted babies’ body parts.
In January, the pro-life alliance reported another shocking detail about the university and its partnership with Boyd. The pro-life group said it “has obtained details from a 2015 University of New Mexico research study describing … how aborted baby liver and kidney ’tissue’ [was] harvested from ‘six fetuses,’ only 15 minutes after the abortion procedure.”
The alliance and other pro-life groups also are questioning whether Boyd is illegally changing the abortion procedure to harvest babies’ livers and kidneys. They are calling for a state investigation.
The relationship between the university and Boyd was exposed last year after the undercover videos by the Center for Medical Progress began drawing attention to the sale of aborted babies’ body parts at Planned Parenthood abortion clinics.
The University of New Mexico has had its hands in the abortion industry for many years. The university also runs its own abortion clinic, which is funded with taxpayer dollars. The UNM Center for Reproductive Health performs abortions up to 22 weeks gestation, according to Operation Rescue.
Action: Tell the University of New Mexico to end its abortion practices by contacting UNM Board of Regents at 505-277-7639 or the UNM Health Sciences Center Board at 505 272-2398
