By Jaylyn Preslicka, Editor-in-Chief
Courtesy of DONALD TRUMP (@realDonaldTrump)
On Friday, Oct. 2, the Trump Administration announced President Donald Trump tested positive for COVID-19 days after the first Presidential debate. The president stayed in quarantine for four days, receiving medical treatment at Walter Reed Hospital until his release on Oct. 7.
During his treatment, he received an experimental drug named Regeneron: the drug in question as the COVID-19 cure. Despite Trump’s very clear Pro-Life stance, his public appraisal of the drug questions his personal beliefs versus what his campaign is about.
President Trump issued a video statement where he said he “had spent four days there- I went in, I wasn’t feeling so hot [and] within a very short period of time they gave me Regeneron.”
Regeneron, which has not been released for public use, is being tested on COVID-19 patients under the name REGN-COV2.
Despite Trump banning all funded testing using fetal tissue under the Department of Health and Human Survices (HHS) in 2019, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. used fetal kidney tissue cells (HEK 293T) derived from an abortion in the process of developing the drug.
Many believe Trump taking the experimental drug is contreversial due to his clear views on abortion.
“I am strongly Pro-Life, with the three execptions - Rape, Incest and protecting the life of the mother,” Trump tweeted on May 18, 2019. “[T]he Same position taken by Ronald Reagan.”
Although the cells are from a standardized supply dating back to the 1970s, the public raises the question whether Trump in fact believes what he officially states.
The hypocritical aspect of his endorsement, the public argues, is that Trump’s personal views should have been taken into consideration before giving the drug attention and praise due to his strong beliefs.
“It sounds like the administration needs to seriously decide on an actual definition of life before proposing laws about it,” senior Vivien Ngyuen said.
Trump’s most recent stance on abortion is reflected in the tweet, “PRO LIFE! VOTE!” a day before his official REGN-COV2 endorsement.
The use of derived stem-cell tissues has been a common medical research method for over 39 years, with fetal tissue testing being in practice since 1982. Since there was use of aborted fetal tissue in the drug, REGN-COV2 funding would be exclusively derived through investors, with no public government involvement.
Regardless of the stance Trump has on abortion, the public will soon await further news on the REGN-COV2 and the status the experimental drug in regards to it being released to the public.
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