The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, simply known as Planned Parenthood, is a nonprofit organization that provides reproductive and maternal health services in the United States. On Oct. 13, the organization announced that it will cease operations of fetal tissue donations in all its clinics as a direct response to the "ludicrous idea" that it was profiting from the service.
The federal law allows the reimbursement of fetal tissue in several clinics. These specimens are used by research institutions to create treatments and therapies for conditions like Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's.
Collecting fetal tissue and organs for scientific research is legal and follows a strict compliance with the law. However, several anti-abortion groups rallied against Planned Parenthood, accusing the organization of fanning the illegal trafficking of fetal tissue.
Planned Parenthood's announcement followed the controversial release of an undercover video from the Center for Medical Progress in July where two members went undercover as buyers from a human biologics company. The video showed Planned Parenthood's senior director for medical services Dr. Deborah Nucatola explaining how the organization sells aborted fetal tissue and body parts. The video also showed the doctor admitting how partial-birth abortions are used to procure body parts intact.
Investigations conducted by the state and congress did not yield any illegal activity. Planned Parenthood also denied the accusations. The organization's president, Cecile Richards, expressed that the recent attacks on the organization has nothing to do with the activists' concern over fetal tissue research and donation. Rather, it has everything to do with banning abortion in the United States.
"This policy takes away the smokescreen that extremists have been using to attack Planned Parenthood, and lays bare their real agenda. When the attacks in Washington and in states continue, as we unfortunately expect they will, let it be clear once and for all that that they have nothing to do with concern over fetal tissue donation and everything to do with banning abortion in the U.S.," said Richards in a press release.
Planned Parenthood's operations in California and Washington currently help research facilities in fetal tissue donation, while its operations in Oregon focus on placenta tissue donation. Out of 700 clinics across the nation, only a few are involved in fetal tissue research and these clinics will no longer accept reimbursements.
The organization stated that women who visit the clinics continue to express their personal desires to donate the fetal tissue to help in research purposes. One woman, for instances, said, "It gave me a little bit of closure to know I'm making a difference. I gave back a little. I did a little bit of good here."
Planned Parenthood is being funded by the government to provide services like cancer screenings, annual exams and birth control to low-income patients who visit the clinics. Anti-abortion activists demanded that such operations shouldn't obtain taxpayers' money. Richards' letter to National Institutes Health Director Francis Collins said "Our decision is first and foremost about preserving the ability of our patients to donate tissue, and to expose our opponents' false charges about this limited but important work."
Despite the damage done by the smear campaign, Planned Parenthood holds the position as one of the nation's top health charities.
Photo: Jason Taellious | Flickr
