UPDATE: On Wednesday, Governor Bobby Jindal requested Inspector General Stephen Street to initiate a joint investigation with the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals to determine whether Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast is engaged in the illegal harvesting and trafficking of human body parts.
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – Governor Bobby Jindal is asking the FBI to join a state investigation into Planned Parenthood. He says hidden-camera video released Tuesday shows quote “systematic harvesting and trafficking of human body parts.” Below is an excerpt from that 9-minute video:
Woman: “Yesterday was the first time she said people wanted lungs. And then, like I said, always as many intact livers as possible. People just want–”
Man: “Yeah. Livers.”
Woman: “Some people want lower extremities too, which, that’s simple. I mean that’s easy. I don’t know what they’re doing with it. I guess they want muscle.”
Man: “A dime a dozen.”
Watch the full video below:
The Center for Medical Progress released this video saying it shows Planned Parenthood’s Senior Director of Medical Research talking about selling “baby parts”.
Planned Parenthood responded, saying: The tape is heavily edited and “falsely portrays their participation in tissue donation programs…that support lifesaving scientific research”.
The group says they don’t pay for tissue samples, but they do reimburse patients for out of pocket expenses.
Governor Jindal issued a statement telling the Department of Health and Hospitals to investigate quote “alleged evil and illegal activity…and not issue any licenses until this investigation is complete.”
After this statement, there were concerns the opening of the second clinic that’s under construction at Claiborne and Upperline would be delayed. But the local communications manager for Planned Parenthood told us: “The health center is fully under construction. We’re not experiencing any delays. It is full steam ahead.”
The second clinic is still on track to open next year. This center would provide abortion services. The one on Magazine and Constantinople does not.
Here is the statement from Louisiana State Director, Melissa Flournoy:
Planned Parenthood has been providing high-quality, affordable health care to the people of Louisiana for 30 years. We are committed to completing our new health center in New Orleans and providing the full range of reproductive health care this community overwhelmingly supports and needs such as lifesaving cancer screenings, birth control, STI testing and treatment, HIV screening; and safe, legal abortion. Make no mistake: This health center will open, and Planned Parenthood will do everything we can to provide care for the women and men of Louisiana who rely on us.
Too many Louisianans are already going without access to health care and New Orleans, in particular, does not have enough health care providers to meet the clear and dire needs of this community. According to a recent U.S. Centers for Disease Control study, 22 Louisiana residents have died from syphilis from 2001 to 2010. To have Louisianans dying from preventable and treatable sexually transmitted diseases (STI’s) such as syphilis is deeply troubling to public health in the state. New Orleans has some of the country’s highest rates of HIV transmission, sexually transmitted infections, and unintended pregnancy. Louisiana has a 58% unintended pregnancy rate and a teen birth rate that is soaring while other states are experiencing declines in teen pregnancy and teen births.
The focus of Planned Parenthood’s work in New Orleans for the past 31 years has been to improve the health of the people of New Orleans by providing high-quality, affordable health care and age-appropriate, medically accurate sexually health education and information. We believe that people of this community and across Louisiana deserve access to preventive care, including access to contraception and accurate sexual health information.
