DRUGS GIVEN TO DONALD TRUMP FOR COVID-19 DEVELOPED USING CELLS DERIVED FROM ABORTED FETUS
One
of the drugs taken by Donald Trump that he has publicize as a potential “cure”
for corona virus was developed using human cells originally obtained from an
elective abortion, a practice repeatedly denounced by the president and many of
his supporters.
The
drug is a monoclonal antibody cocktail developed by Regeneron. The president
receives an 8 gram infusion under a “compassionate use” exemption when he was
hospitalized over the weekend after testing positive for Covid-19. There is no
cure for Covid-19, and the drug is not approved.
The
cells used to develop the drug are known as HEK-293T cells, a line of cells
used in laboratories. The cells were originally derived from an embryonic
kidney after an elective abortion performed in the Netherlands in the 1970s.
Trump
has consistently sought to restrict abortion access, including most recently,
when he nominated the conservative Catholic Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme
Court last month. The anti-abortion movement is one of Trump’s most enthusiastic
bases of support.