Congressional House Republicans recently voted 241-187 to halt federal funding to Planned Parenthood for 1 year. This development comes after weeks of tension surrounding Planned Parenthood's use of fetal tissue. I definitely think the organization needs some restructuring but halting this funding could be detrimental. Millions of Americans rely on Planned Parenthood for birth control, lifesaving cancer screenings, and other critical preventive care. This seems to be the start of the government controlling women's health issues.
Secretly recorded videos showing organization officials offhandedly discussing how they sometimes provide tissue from aborted fetuses for medical researchers is what sparked this. Planned Parenthood says it acted legally and that the tapes were deceptively edited. Federal funding should not be used for abortions except under certain circumstances. Could this all be solved with informed consent of the participants. I have to think back to Henrietta Lacks who had cells taken from her body without her knowledge. This cells were used to form the HeLa cell line, which has been used extensively in medical research since that time. Lacks's case has sparked legal and ethical debates over the rights of an individual to his or her genetic material and tissue especially because she was never compensated. Millions of dollars continue to be made as a result these cells and the same could be said for the fetal tissue that Planned Parenthood is “donating”- Who profits?
President Obama has stated that he will veto the bill if it crosses his desk. Hopefully this will spark a new discussion on what can be done to improve the organization that Republicans have always loathed. What do you think?
Data Curated by insidegov.com and sourced from Planned Parenthood
This is unfortunate. Planned Parenthood is a great resource for women’s health services. I learned they will see you until the age of 43 I believe.