ATLANTA — Gov. Nathan Deal is calling for a review of Planned Parenthood clinics statewide after a disturbing undercover video an anti-abortion group says shows a Planned Parenthood executive talking about saving and selling body parts.
Deal released a statement calling the contents of this undercover video horrific.
Planned Parenthood countered, saying it's disappointed Deal is distracted by this false political attack and should focus on what really matters to women in Georgia
"This is illegal and immoral and unethical," said Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, Georgia's public health commissioner.
Deal has tapped Fitzgerald, along with the Department of Community Health, to make sure "this horrific practice is not occurring here."
Fitzgerald said Georgia law is very clear.
"The law specifically says in Georgia that fetal remains shall be either buried, interred or cremated," Fitzgerald said.
"As a mother and grandmother, there are not words to describe how I felt," said Virginia Galloway, southern regional director of the Faith and Freedom Coalition.
She said she applauds Deal's decision.
"To see this woman dispassionately stuffing salad into her mouth that she describes crushing body parts so she can preserve other body parts...I was sickened beyond words," Galloway said.
No one at Planned Parenthood's southern regional headquarters would talk on camera, but its CEO Staci Fox released a lengthy statement that reads:
"As a high-quality provider of medical care to women across Georgia, ensuring the health and safety of our patients is fundamental. Planned Parenthood Southeast has been providing high-quality, affordable health care in the state for over 50 years and each year provides health care and education to more than 22,000 people across Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. Planned Parenthood bases its medical care on the expert recommendations of leading medical organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Society for Family Planning and World Health Organization.
"While Planned Parenthood Southeast doesn't provide tissue donation services, it is a standard practice in the medical community. 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 who have abortions are no different. Health centers that provide this service do so 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 the health center. 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.
"We are disappointed that Governor Deal has been distracted by this attack instead of staying focused on what really matters to women in Georgia. Women in Georgia face the highest maternal mortality rate in the nation and yet politicians keep going after women's essential health care and quality prenatal care rather than focusing on solutions.
"These charges are completely false, and they are based on politics. Planned Parenthood follows all laws and has the highest medical and ethical standards. We always seek and welcome feedback from medical experts, but not from politicians. We will, of course, cooperate fully with any investigation. These medical issues shouldn't be politicized in this way. Georgians want our elected officials focused on solutions, not making more problems.
"Planned Parenthood's doors remain open and we will continue to provide high-quality, compassionate care to the women and men who rely on us."
WSBTV
