Planned Parenthood is on the defensive after an undercover video surfaced showing one of its top executives, Dr. Deborah Nucatola, discussing body parts. Richards’ response? It’s completely and utterly untrue.
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In a statement released after the video, Planned Parenthood said the “heavily edited, secretly recorded videotape … falsely portrays Planned Parenthood’s participation in tissue donation programs that support lifesaving scientific research”.
In the footage, Nucatola discusses the methods for and costs of preserving fetal lungs, livers and “intact” hearts, which Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) said may suggest a violation of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. In addition, the description of changing the abortion procedure to better harvest body parts is problematic, he said.
Dr. Nucatola says in the video that PPFA’s facilities want to “accommodate” the fetal tissue patients wish to donate in a way that the clinic doesn’t look like it is making money off of it. She even “threw a number out” and said that a “specimen” costs between $30 and $100. “Our donation programs – like any other high-quality health care providers – follow all laws and ethical guidelines”, she said.
The anti-abortion group, Center for Medical Progress, accused Planned Parenthood of selling aborted fetuses this week.
Daleiden said his group has up to a dozen additional videos of top officials from Planned Parenthood from across the country which he will be releasing in the days and weeks to come.
Ferrero’s statement on the website appears on the same page as a video clip from Cecile Richards, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood.
Senator Charles Schwertner, a Georgetown Republican who chairs the Senate Health and Human Services Committee investigating the issue, announced it would meet before the end of the month.
Governor Jindal has called for an investigation of possible wrongdoing – and until that is complete, the New Orleans Planned Parenthood will not be given a license to operate.
“I respectfully request that you provide the Committee with a description of any and all actions taken by the Department to ensure compliance with this statute”, he wrote.
“These videos are just another example of why we need to do that at the federal level as well”, Walker said at a campaign event in South Carolina.
Over the past few days, we have been disturbed to discover that Planned Parenthood operates in the sale of the parts of the babies they abort.
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“It’s clearly a [financial] transaction that’s taking place”, she says. Democrats say Republicans are using it for an unsubstantiated attack on Planned Parenthood and to appeal to conservative voters and donors. The video has been viewed more than one million times on YouTube. It says it makes no money by donating the organs to science. Over our 100-year history, we have continually engaged leading medical experts to shape our practices, policies, and high standards – and always will.
