Holly O'Donnell is a former technician for California-based Stem Express, a company that contracts with abortion clinics for the tissue. (Screenshot)
Third Planned Parenthood video released: 'Huge trafficking of fetal tissues'
A third Planned Parenthood video was released Tuesday morning that features a whistleblower who says her biomedical company would compensate Planned Parenthood clinics for fetal organs based on their condition and quality after being extracted from an abortion.
Holly O'Donnell is a former technician for California-based Stem Express, a company that contracts with abortion clinics for the tissue.
"The more valuable the tissue the more money you get, so if you can somehow procure a brain or a heart you're going to get more money than just umbilical cord," O'Donnell says in the video. "So I guess that's incentive to try and get the hard stuff because they get more money."
The footage shows medical professionals picking through trays of aborted fetal tissue for legs and other recognizable body parts. O'Donnell says that when she was asked to participate, she fainted. She also names Cate Dyer, the president and founder of Stem Express, saying Dyer makes "a lot of money."
"It's basically a huge trafficking of fetal tissues," O'Donnell says. "It's a pretty sick company."
The video also features Katharine Sheehan, medical director for Planned Parenthood Pacific Southwest, talking about procuring fetal organs with an actor posing as a buyer for a human tissue company.
Two prior videos released by the anti-abortion group Center for Medical Progress featured two top Planned Parenthood officials discussing how doctors collect fetal organs during abortions, sometimes modifying the procedure in order to keep certain organs intact.
The latest video will further feed into questions about whether Planned Parenthood clinics profit financially from the tissue donations, something the group denies. It's legal to donate aborted fetal tissue and be paid for the overhead costs of obtaining it, but profiting financially is against the law. Two congressional panels are currently investigating Planned Parenthood.
Stem Express has also defended itself, saying in a statement on its website that the company "prides itself on complying with all laws."
"Written donor consent is required for any donation, including bone marrow, tissue of all types or blood. We are hopeful the events of the last few days will not diminish our efforts to support the research community or hinder our partners from continuing their important work," the statement said.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for commenting. Your comments are needed for helping to improve the discussion.