Breaking: UNM Withholds Documents from NMAFL and Congressional Select Committee

New Mexico Alliance for Life Attorney Files Lawsuit Against UNM Health Sciences Center, Withholding Documents on Study Involving Extracted Eyes of Aborted Babies Up to 24 Weeks Gestation Harvested from Southwestern Women's Options

Additionally: 
Congressional Select Investigative Panel Issues Subpoenas to Uncooperative Organizations UNMHSC and ABQ's Late-Term Abortion Center

The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center is not being transparent about its aborted fetal research program and is either breaking state open records law by withholding documents they are required to maintain by federal regulation- or potentially breaking federal law by not maintaining the documents.  NMAFL's attorney filed a lawsuit with District Court in order to obtain documents UNM is required to maintain pursuant to federal regulation originally requested in January, as covered in the Albuquerque Journal today.  

NMAFL previously confirmed that UNMHSC is harvesting baby body parts... including eyes, brains, livers, hearts, kidneys... from aborted babies at Southwestern Women's Options, one of the only abortion clinics in that nation that performs abortion until the day of birth for ANY reason.

UNMHSC has ALSO not been cooperative with the Congressional Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives led by Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn, who had to subpoena UNM HSC and Curtis Boyd's Southwestern Women's Options in order to obtain documents originally requested regarding the practices of UNMHSC's human research programs, arrangements with Curtis Boyd who also serves as UNM "Assistant Clinical Professor" and their practices of harvesting fetal tissues of late-term babies from his clinic. 

The 2015 UNM "Developing Human Eye Study"
WARNING: GRAPHIC PHOTOS OF ABORTED BABY PARTS AT END OF THE STUDY 

Pursuant to the state Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA), NMAFL has requested documents specifically cited in this study funded by taxpayers through the UNM Dept. of Pediatrics and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). 

NMAFL's IPRA request cited the 2015 study: 
"VEGF mRNA and Protein Concentrations in the Developing Human Eye"

• Study led by UNMHSC researcher Robin Ohls, published in April 2015- within the three year timeframe required by law for NIH studies maintenance of documents. 
• No confidential information has been sought by NMAFL regarding documents involving patients or their personal identifying information from Southwestern Women's Options. 
  

Some of the documents requested by NMAFL, required by federal law to be maintained by UNMHSC regarding the 2015 study: 

* Redacted consent to donate forms women are required to be informed of-- whether their babies' bodies will be harvested for parts and used for research.
* Biohazard compliance for  the storage and transfer of body parts, eyeballs, organs and other tissues of aborted babies from UNM's Associate Clinical Professor, Curtis Boyd, owner of Southwestern Women's Options.
* Human Research Review Committee (HRRC) determinations of Human Eye Study as a "non-human" study cited in the Human Eye Study. 

RESPONSE FROM UNM TO NMAFL'S OPEN RECORDS REQUEST: 

"UNM Health Science Center has confirmed they did not identify any records specifically responsive to your request as it pertains to the study...However HSC will continue to search and should they locate such documents specific to your request they will provide them as soon as possible."  

Federal regulation 45 C.F.R. 46.115 states, "that records relating to research which is conducted shall be retained for at least three years after completion of the research.  All records shall be accessible for inspection by authorized representatives of the department or agency." 

NMAFL also discovered that UNMHSC has its own standard operating procedures, designed by Dr. Richard Larson, vice chancellor of UNMHSC research, for identifying and accessing files from studies such as checklists, protocol files, meetings of approvals, as well policies and procedures for conducting studies that must be maintained pursuant to federal statute 45 CFR 46.115.

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Elisa Martinez, NMAFL Executive Director, on UNMHSC record law violations

"UNMHSC's shroud of secrecy around its aborted fetal research program is why New Mexico Alliance for Life welcomes the congressional investigation. NMAFL and the public are entitled to examine documents about this program pursuant to state open records laws, and UNMHSC is required to maintain documents regarding its aborted fetal program pursuant to federal law, documents UNMHSC has withheld for public inspection to date from our open records request. UNMHSC is either violating federal law, by not maintaining documents required or breaking state law by withholding specific documents requested from the 2015 study using extracted eyeballs from babies aborted up to 24 weeks gestation from late-term abortionist Curtis Boyd."

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Is UNMHSC Chancellor Paul Roth Allowing the Violation of Federal Law? 

Dr. Roth, chancellor of UNMHSC

Dr. Paul Roth, chancellor of the UNMHSC and dean of UNM School of Medicine, serves as the institutional official for the Health Sciences Center's human research protections program and is responsible for the institution's compliance with applicable (federal) laws, rules and regulations as they relate to research involving human subjects. However, NMAFL finds UNMHSC, under Dr. Roth, may be violating federal law requiring maintenance of documents regarding NIH studies as well as evading inspection of public records requests in compliance with state law.  

"Ultimately, Dr. Roth is entrusted to ensure UNMHSC is following the law when it comes to research involving human subjects.  NMAFL along with New Mexico taxpayers need the confidence that is happening at UNM and are afforded their rights to view public documents - especially when it comes to studies involving body parts, tissues and organs that carry blood-borne pathogens and can expose the public to infectious diseases," Elisa Martinez added. 


Stay tuned for more updates as NMAFL leads the charge in bringing you answers and action from our ongoing investigation. Please make sure to share this important information with your networks. NMAFL works for you, around the clock in holding our leaders, institutions and the abortion industry accountable.   Please consider making a secure online donation today so that we may continue our work.  Thank you for your support.

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