Vos 'Optimistic' Assembly Will Take Up Fetal Research Ban

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says he’s optimistic the chamber will vote on a bill outlawing research on tissue taken from aborted fetuses.

The GOP-authored measure would ban research on tissues, organs and cells taken from fetuses after elective abortions after Jan. 1, 2015, and ban the commercial sale of fetal tissue. Republicans in both the Assembly and Senate, however, have expressed concerns that the bill could chill research efforts.

Vos, a Rochester Republican, said earlier this week he doesn’t have the votes to move the bill out of the Assembly. On Thursday, he said members of his caucus have been trying to craft a compromise. He said he hopes to bring the bill to the floor by Oct. 22.