Planned Parenthood Is Not Illegally Selling Fetal Tissue

The video circulating on the internet is misleading — here's why.

July 15, 2015

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There's a controversial video about Planned Parenthood currently spreading around the internet faster than Louis Tomlinson's baby news. Unlike that rumor, though, this one isn't true.

If you haven't watched it yet, you've likely seen the headlines. The clip, which accuses the women's health nonprofit of violating both the ban on late-term abortions and the law forbidding the sale of fetal tissues, comes from the Center for Medical Progress, a self-described organization for citizen journalists. Part of the reason the video has gotten so much pickup, other than the sheer shock factor, is because it’s been distributed by Live Action, a pro-life advocacy group that has a long track record of releasing undercover videos that aim to expose doctors who perform abortions.

Because of the way this footage has been edited, this video appears to show Dr. Deborah Nucatola, the senior director of medical services for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, discussing how good the organization has gotten at selling human fetuses. It's terrifying, sure, but it's also not accurate.

In a statement released yesterday, Eric Ferrero, vice president of communications, Planned Parenthood Federation of America explained that while the organization does donate tissue, it's always with full consent from the patient:

“In health care, patients sometimes want to donate tissue to scientific research that can help lead to medical breakthroughs, such as treatments and cures for serious diseases. Women at Planned Parenthood who have abortions are no different. At several of our health centers, we help patients who want to donate tissue for scientific research, and we do this just like every other high-quality health care provider does — with full, appropriate consent from patients and under the highest ethical and legal standards. There is no financial benefit for tissue donation for either the patient or for Planned Parenthood. In some instances, actual costs, such as the cost to transport tissue to leading research centers, are reimbursed, which is standard across the medical field.
“A well funded group established for the purpose of damaging Planned Parenthood’s mission and services has promoted a heavily edited, secretly recorded videotape that falsely portrays Planned Parenthood’s participation in tissue donation programs that support lifesaving scientific research. Similar false accusations have been put forth by opponents of abortion services for decades. These groups have been widely discredited and their claims fall apart on closer examination, just as they do in this case.”

In fact, the donation of fetal tissue — even though it is certainly not the most pleasant or easiest thing to talk about — has helped contribute to major medical research over the past 50 years, including vaccines for polio and the measles virus.

In short, this practice is nothing new, nor is it illegal. But the political scandal it has caused is still evolving. For the latest, check out this New York Times article about how Congress is getting involved.