Planned Parenthood Exec.: ‘Unequivocally,’ We Don’t ‘Make a Profit on Fetal Tissue’
[clip starts]
NN FEMALE: “We don’t want to be in a position of being accused of selling tissue and stuff like that. On the other hand, there are costs associated with the use of our space, and all that kind of stuff.”
NN FEMALE 1: “Exactly. Yes. Right.”
NN FEMALE: “So what were you thinking about?”
NN FEMALE 1: “Way higher than that?”
NN FEMALE: “Mmh-hmm.”
NN FEMALE 1: “I would like to start at around 100.”
NN FEMALE: “Okay.”
[clip ends]
CAMEROTA: “That’s an excerpt from the controversial sting videos released by anti-abortion activists, claiming that Planned Parenthood sells fetal tissue for profit. Now, the Senate is considering a bill to defund Planned Parenthood. Joining us is Dawn Laguens, she is the executive vice president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Dawn, thanks so much for being on ‘New day.’”
LAGUENS: “Good morning.”
CAMEROTA: “These videos that have had been released, I know that you dispute the premise, obviously that Planned Parenthood is selling for a profit, fetal tissue. But it does sound like, in some of these excerpts, that they are negotiating. Why are these representatives from Planned Parenthood negotiating?”
LAGUENS: “Alisyn, I think, a little context setting is important to start here at 7:00 am. Planned Parenthood, for 99 years has been the nation's leading reproductive health care organization. We provide care, birth control, STD testing, cancer screenings, abortion to 2.5 million men and women a year in this country. A million young people get sex education from us. People know us well and know that, in fact that is not Planned Parenthood.” [Crosstalk]
CAMEROTA: “Sure. No one disputes other services. It’s just this particular service where there is an exchange of fetal tissue, which, by the way, obviously does a lot of good. There’s a lot of research, cures for diseases that come from it. But it does sound as though there's a price negotiation happening, what’s the explanation for that?”
LAGUENS: “Here is what’s happening is, an anti-abortion extremist group has, for three years misrepresented who they are and stalked our doctors and clinics. And they are meeting there and if you really listen to the longer tape, not the very short, edited -- shock value video that they have historically put out and have put out in this case, what they do is they haggle. This is a doctor who, one, doesn't do this work at a place in our organization that doesn't have this program and they are saying to her, ‘no, that's not enough. Let us pay you more. And she's clearly saying, ‘I’m not sure where the reimbursement costs would be for doing this fetal tissue donation.’ They are trying to encourage her to start a program. The idea that she's haggling is completely off base.”
CAMEROTA: “Why not set a set price? Wouldn’t that solve the problem? Because in this video, it’s says ‘Well, sometimes it's between $30 to $100 depending upon storage and depending upon handling. And so, it makes it seem as though there's room for haggling or negotiation. Why not say it's going to be $100 across the board and there's no ifs, ands or buts.”
LAGUENS: “Just remaining, this program takes place in three states in the country. And of course, depending on who the research partner is, there are shipping costs, there can be handling costs, there can be talking about different kinds of research. So the costs can, in fact, vary. That wouldn't be something that a doctor would be the person to decide, that would be somebody in accounting or someone who is in management. These were not the people who would even know these things.”
CAMEROTA: “You say, unequivocally, Planned Parenthood does not make a profit on fetal tissue?”
LAGUENS: “I say that unequivocally. Planned Parenthood does not making a profit on fetal tissue.”
