Utah and Arkansas cut funding for Planned Parenthood on Friday over accusations that the organization is illegally shipping fetal tissue. A biomedical research firm also cut ties.
New Hampshire supporters of Planned Parenthood listen to hearing on the group's state funding.
Jim Cole / AP
Two more states, as well as a biomedical firm, cut ties with Planned Parenthood on Friday over accusations that the women's health organization is illegally profiting from fetal tissue procured during late-term abortions.
The accusations have been made in six videos secretly recorded by the anti-abortion group Center for Medical Progress, which have sparked a national furor among conservatives.
In a statement to BuzzFeed News, StemExpress — which bills itself as a life sciences company committed to accelerating research and advancing medicine — said that "due to the increased questions that have arisen over the past few weeks, we feel it prudent to terminate activities with Planned Parenthood."
The firm, based in Placerville, Calif., had faced questions from Congress regarding its relationship with Planned Parenthood, which has insisted that its tissue donor program is completely legal.
Planned Parenthood affiliates operate in all 50 states, but only three sites in two states — California and Washington — "facilitate the donation of fetal tissue for women who want to help with important medical research on serious diseases," a spokesperson for the nonprofit told BuzzFeed News.
But that hasn't stopped a growing number of states from defunding the organization, with Utah and Arkansas joining the fray on Friday.
"It is apparent that after the recent revelations on the actions of Planned Parenthood, that this organization does not represent the values of the people of our state and Arkansas is better served by terminating any and all existing contracts with them," Gov. Asa Hutchinson said in a statement announcing his state's funding cutoff.
Alabama, Louisiana, and New Hampshire have recently ordered similar cuts, citing the allegations made in the Center for Medical Progress videos.
Planned Parenthood this week hit back, contending that federal laws prohibit withholding Medicaid funds simply because an organization provides abortion services.
"The federal government has made it clear that states cannot cut women off from high-quality health care at Planned Parenthood like this. It's unlawful, unpopular, and harmful to women — and that's why politicians who have tried to do this in other states have failed," Dawn Laguens, executive vice president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement Friday.
She added: "This is a part of a bigger, dangerous political agenda. Earlier this year, Governor Hutchinson signed six new abortion restrictions into law — and now he's taking aim at birth control, cancer screenings, and other care."
Anti-abortion activists rally on the steps of the Texas Capitol on July 28.
Eric Gay / AP
An earlier effort this year by Congressional Republicans to defund Planned Parenthood at the federal level was vetoed by President Obama. Meanwhile, all of the Republican presidential candidates have publicly demanded a federal cutoff.
Planned Parenthood also continues to feel pressure on the legal side as state lawmakers call for investigations into whether the organization's affiliates are in compliance with state and federal law.
California is the only state to have opened an investigation where fetal tissue donor programs are actually operated.
So far, of the 12 other states that have opened investigations into Planned Parenthood, five — Georgia, Indiana, Massachusetts, South Dakota, and Florida — have concluded that the nonprofit is in compliance.
Planned Parenthood confirmed that affiliates continue to be investigated in Arizona, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, and Texas, despite there also being no fetal tissue donor programs operated there.
from BuzzFeed - USNews http://ift.tt/1J6a79t
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