TCC Statement On Federal And State Investigations Of Planned Parenthood

Texas’ Catholic Bishops have expressed deep concern and moral disgust at recent videos showing executives of Planned Parenthood Inc. casually negotiating the sale of infant body parts that have been harvested from abortions.

The two undercover videos by the Center for Medical Progress has awakened national attention to the atrocity of dismembering infants and then using those parts for medical experimentation.   The cavalier attitude displayed by Planned Parenthood, Inc. executives in haggling over the sale of these infants exposes a sustained pattern of exploitation and a heart-rending disregard for innocent human life. Planned Parenthood claims that these atrocities are permissible under federal law, but the mere notion that this is an acceptable practice indicates the immoral depths to which segments of our society continue to fall.

Planned Parenthood claims that recouping “its costs of preserving and delivering fetal tissue samples to companies for research” is legally permitted with written consent from abortion mothers under federal laws.  However, something that may be technically legal does not mean it is morally right.

The Bishops expressed appreciation to Texas Governor Greg Abbott for calling for an investigation into “the organ harvesting claims” against Planned Parenthood in light of these videos.  The U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Committee also launched a federal probe of the organization’s practices last week.

The Center for Medical Progress released its first video showing Dr. Deborah Nucatola, Planned Parenthood’s Senior Director of Medical Services, graphically explaining how abortions can be conducted to preserve the baby’s organs for medical research, as well as their associated costs. A second video released by the group this week features Mary Gatter, Medical Director for Planned Parenthood Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley, discussing the method and haggling over the price of providing fetal tissue left over from abortions for medical research.