Missouri is now the seventh state to conclude the women’s health organization isn’t profiting from illegal tissue sales.
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Missouri's attorney general announced on Monday that there is "no evidence whatsoever" that Planned Parenthood is selling fetal tissue in the state.
Attorney General Chris Koster's office launched an investigation into the matter after the anti-abortion group Center for Medical Progress released a series of videos claiming Planned Parenthood was illegally profiting from selling fetal body parts.
Koster said in a statement that his office carried out an exhaustive investigation, but found the claims as they pertained to Planned Parenthood in his state were without merit.
"We have discovered no evidence whatsoever to suggest that Planned Parenthood's St. Louis facility is selling fetal tissue," he said.
The probe only examined activities at the organization's location in St. Louis because that facility is the only one in the state approved to perform surgical abortions.
In the probe, Koster's office tracked the facility's actions in each abortion it performed in a 30-day period and found Planned Parenthood broke no laws.
"The investigation examined documents from all 317 separate abortions that occurred during the audited period, tracing each procedure from Planned Parenthood to the incinerator," the statement said. Investigators also conducted interviews with staff and examined "thousands" of documents.
The chief executive of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and South Missouri said in a statement to BuzzFeed News that the facility's top priority is "compassionate healthcare and education," and the results of the state attorney's investigation reflect that.
"We have always followed the highest medical and ethical standards and comply with all laws," Mary M. Kogut said. "We are pleased, but not surprised that this thorough investigation by the attorney general found our actions fully compliant with the law."
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The videos from the Center of Medical Progress set off one of the fiercest abortion fights in recent memory, with a number of states cut funding for Planned Parenthood.
Even though only California and Washington allow Planned Parenthood to facilitate the donation of fetal tissue, 12 states opened probes into how the organization was handling fetal remains.
Missouri is the seventh of 12 states to announce finding no evidence of wrongdoing.
The issue, however, is causing problems in Congress, with some Republicans threatening to shut down the government unless Planned Parenthood loses its federal funding.
In announcing his plans to resign on Friday, House Speaker John Boehner cited the Planned Parenthood standoff.
from BuzzFeed - USNews http://ift.tt/1LYbpVV
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