Two secretly recorded videos released in the US have sparked debate over medicine, politics and abortion rights.
The first video, released by anti-abortion group Center for Medical Progress, showed a Planned Parenthood official discussing the costs of donating foetal tissue for medical research.
The conversation suggested Planned Parenthood was making money from the tissue donations, which is illegal in the United States.
Planned Parenthood said the donation of tissue for research was legal and that any money collected was only used to cover operational costs.
Cecile Richards, of Planned Parenthood, reinforced that message as the scandal escalated. “The allegation that Planned Parenthood profits in any way from tissue donation is not true,” she said.
Following her comment, the anti-abortion group released a second video that also showed an official discussing costs. In it, she can be heard saying: “What would you expect for intact tissue? What sort of compensation? Well why don’t you start by telling me what you're used to paying?”
The doctor speaking in the video, Dr Mary Gatter, can be heard saying that Planned Parenthood was not driven by profit.
"We don’t want to be in the position of being accused of selling tissue, and all that kind of stuff. On the other hand, there are costs associated with the use of our space," she said.
But Dr Gatter also suggested the clinic could change their method of abortion to obtain more intact specimens.
“You know, 10 to12 week end of the first trimester, if those are intact specimens then we can work with that? I'll mention that to Ian and see how he feels about using the less crunchy method to get more whole specimens.”
Bioethicist Art Caplan, from the NYU school of medicine, said that part of the video was troubling.
“You can't give even the faintest suggestion you're going to change the technique because you have an interest in getting foetal tissue,” he said. “Those are boundaries that can’t be crossed.”
"The allegation that Planned Parenthood profits in any way from tissue donation is not true."
Conservative politicians, including presidential candidate Rick Santorum, were now using the videos as a springboard to launch hearings into Planned Parenthood.
“They should not be funded by taxpayer dollars. This is an issue that Republicans, Democrats, pro-life and pro-choice should be able to rally around,” Mr Santorum said.
But Democratic senator Harry Reid defended the group.
“These politically motivated videos raise some questions, but nothing I've seen indicates Planned Parenthood violated federal laws,” he said.
Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton said the backlash was "an attack against a women’s right to choose.”
Three American states have now opened their own investigations into local Planned Parenthood clinics.
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