PLANNED PARENTHOOD GREATER MEMPHIS REGION SPEAKS OUT AGAINST NATIONAL FETAL TISSUE HOAX

Planned Parenthood Greater Memphis Region is speaking out against the videos released by a well-funded group established for the purpose of damaging Planned Parenthood.  These videos were heavily edited, secretly recorded videotapes that falsely portray some Planned Parenthood affiliates’ participation in tissue donation programs that support lifesaving scientific research.  As a result, this national fraud has created concern in the local Memphis market. 

Ashley Coffield, CEO of Planned Parenthood Greater Memphis Region, said the following regarding the hoax and its impact on Memphis, “PPGMR is devoted to top quality care for our patients. This has always been and will always be our mission.  These false accusations of selling fetal tissue have been put forth by opponents of abortion for the sole purpose of deceiving the public, making false charges, and terrorizing women and their doctors, all in order to ban abortion and cut women off from care at Planned Parenthood.  In the last few days, we have received inquiries to PPGMR regarding our own policy on fetal tissue donation.  PPGMR does not offer the opportunity for our patients to participate in fetal tissue donation nor have we ever.   We have spoken to elected officials, local organizations and key figures, and we continue to reach out to as many in the community as we can to assure the public that this is an elaborate deception with a clear anti-abortion agenda.”

Cecile Richards, President of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America said the following regarding the video, “In health care, patients sometimes want to donate tissue to scientific research that can help lead to medical breakthroughs, such as treatments and cures for serious diseases. Women at Planned Parenthood who have abortions are no different. At several of our health centers, we help patients who want to donate tissue for scientific research, and we do this just like every other high-quality health care provider does -- with full, appropriate consent from patients and under the highest ethical and legal standards. There is no financial benefit for tissue donation for either the patient or for Planned Parenthood.  In some instances, actual costs, such as the cost to transport tissue to leading research centers, are reimbursed, which is standard across the medical field.”

###

Planned Parenthood Greater Memphis Region (PPGMR), founded in 1938, is an affiliate of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. PPGMR’s mission is to improve health and well-being by providing high-quality, non-judgmental sexual health care, honest and accurate sexuality education, and reproductive health and rights advocacy.