Planned Parenthood Statement on Recent Attacks

Statement from Chris Charbonneau, chief executive officer of Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and the Hawaiian Islands:

“Planned Parenthood is the most trusted women’s health care provider in this country. We have provided birth control, lifesaving cancer screenings, safe abortion and other high-quality health care for nearly 100 years. One in five women American women reports having been to Planned Parenthood for care. Planned Parenthood’s medical providers and staff are the best in the country.

“Extremists who oppose Planned Parenthood to its core continue to make outrageous and completely false claims. They are engaged in a fraud, and the claims they’ve made have been discredited and disproven. If there was any truth to these videos, the footage would be shared with a judge who would take the necessary steps to seize records and conduct an investigation.  Instead, the videos were shared with members of Congress in advance of being released to the public and then used in an effort to defund Planned Parenthood and eliminate access to women’s health care. 

“The truth is, Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and the Hawaiian Islands does not have a fetal tissue program. This is not because we disapprove, we support our sister affiliates that do offer this program and stand by the lifesaving research it provides.

“These videos are clearly political. Women’s health care is being used as political football in order to advance an unpopular agenda held by extreme members of Congress. We need to be able to count on our legislators to look past these distorted videos and false claims and stand up for the women, men and teens who deserve access to preventive, non-judgmental health care.”

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Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable health care for women, men, and young people, as well as the nation’s largest provider of sex education. With approximately 700 health centers across the country, Planned Parenthood organizations serve all patients with care and compassion, with respect and without judgment. Through health centers, programs in schools and communities, and online resources, Planned Parenthood is a trusted source of reliable health information that allows people to make informed health decisions. We do all this because we care passionately about helping people lead healthier lives.