Last week, the Michigan Senate approved two bills that would make the sale of tissue from aborted children in the state punishable by up to five years in prison, The Detroit News reports.
Some protested, stating their concerns that such laws would harm the process of fetal tissue research. Others, however, deemed the legislation necessary to protect life. The majority Republican Senate passed the measures, SB 564 and 565, by a vote of 26-10…
Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan CEO Lori Carpentier, who heads the group’s political arm, said the state legislation is redundant because federal penalties already exist against such sales of fetal tissue and organs.
“It also has the distinct possibility of causing problems for bona fide universities that do research,” Carpentier said. “…These legislators are not looking to do good policy. They are looking to score political points.”
However, while opponents of the legislation claim it is unnecessary due to federal laws against the sale of aborted baby body parts, others disagree, pointing out a “loophole in federal law”:
Right to Life of Michigan spokeswoman said the legislation addresses a loophole in federal law that allows fetal tissue donors to charge a procurement fee of any amount. The state legislation allows women to donate aborted fetal tissue but not for a fee, said Genevieve Marnon, public affairs associate for Right to Life of Michigan.
“We’re simply codifying the policy that Planned Parenthood said it adopted” in October 2015, Marnon said….
“If it is truly about donated tissue, what is there to fear?” Marnon said. “Researchers should be happy that they no longer have to pay a procurement fee.”
Marnon is correct. Following the release of videos by the Center for Medical Progress which exposed the trafficking of fetal body parts by the abortion industry, Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest single abortion business, announced that they would no longer accept “reimbursement” for the body parts of aborted babies. CEO Cecile Richards blamed the undercover videos, claiming “The real goal of these extremists has nothing to do with our fetal tissue donation compliance process but is instead to ban abortion in the U.S. and block women from getting any health care from Planned Parenthood.”
As for Michigan, The Detroit News notes that the Center for Medical Progress’s videos also played a large role in motivating Michigan pro-life legislators to take up the measures against the sale of fetal tissue.
Several states currently have laws against the sale of fetal tissue, and several more are working to pass such laws.
