Planned Parenthood Will Be Able to Comply With New Reporting Regulations - Although They Were Never Justified In the First Place

PRESS STATEMENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PHOENIX –Planned Parenthood Arizona has reviewed the new rules issued by the Arizona Department of Health Services related to fetal tissue donation.  The reporting requirement in the new rules enables abortion health care providers to indicate that “Tissue was not donated.”  That description accurately reflects Planned Parenthood’s practice since Planned Parenthood Arizona does not participate in tissue donation.

Although Planned Parenthood Arizona has concluded it will be able to comply with these new regulations – which add to an already cumbersome manual entry report– the Department’s explanation for the new rules makes plain they were never justified in the first place.

The state Health Department issued the new rules on August 14 under ‘emergency’ authority, allowing the Department to ignore the normal requirement that new regulations be subject to public comment by the health care professionals who will be required to implement them.  In its justification for the emergency exemption, the Department explained that it had ‘just became aware of the potential sale of aborted fetal tissue at Arizona health care institutions where abortions are performed.’  A few sentences later however, the Department acknowledges that it “did not review or rely on any study related to this rulemaking package.”

Once again it appears that Arizona medical professionals who provide abortion health care have fallen victim to extremist politicians and social conservatives that seek to fundraise and curry support among the small minority of Arizonans who oppose allowing women to make their own decisions about pregnancy and parenting.

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In the community for over 80 years, Planned Parenthood Arizona is the leading sexual health organization in Arizona. The organization provides health care, education and outreach services to more than 90,000 men, women, teens and parents annually. Planned Parenthood Arizona operates health center locations statewide. For more information, please visit www.ppaz.org.