CORRECTION: The original version of this story misrepresented the name of a pro-abortion rights group. Chavi Koneru is a policy analyst and operations coordinator for the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League Pro-Choice North Carolina. The story has been updated to reflect these changes.
Fetal tissues and organ donations or exchange will be limited in the coming months after the N.C. General Assembly approved a bill that restricts the sale or donation of aborted fetus parts.
The bill, which was presented to the governor's office Wednesday, prohibits the sale or donation of fetal tissue and organs unless they were received because of a miscarriage. A different part of the bill bans the state from entering contracts with family planning groups that provide abortions — this provision only affects Planned Parenthood.
“With this bill, it is going to prevent research opportunities that are available with the donations of fetal tissues/organs," said Chavi Koneru, policy analyst and operations coordinator for the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League Pro-Choice North Carolina, a pro-abortion rights group. http://www.prochoicenc.org/about-us/staff.shtml http://mith.umd.edu/womensstudies/GenderIssues/ReproductiveRights/naral.html
She said Planned Parenthood has contributed tremendously to research and cutting funding would restrict further opportunities for research, such as on premature babies.
Students at UNC have different opinions on the bill. UNC Sophomore Alicia Neal, who is against abortions, said she supported the bill.
“I think abortions are wrong and selling fetal tissues and organs from aborted babies is repulsive," she said.
But UNC sophomore Jordan Stinnett, who is pro-abortion rights, said the main issue isn't where the fetuses came from. Planned Parenthood has provided extensive medical research from their donations and any cuts to funding would do more bad than good, she said.
"I think this would be more of an issue if the fetal tissues/organs were donated without consent or knowledge of the parents,” she said.
Jovonnie Quintero, another pro-abortion rights student and a UNC junior, said with regards to cuts to funding, people have forgotten that Planned Parenthood offers many resources to prevent more abortions than are operated.
This N.C. bill is a reaction to recent videos published by The Center for Medical Progress, an anti-abortion group. The group created the videos through months of what it has called under-cover journalism, where they recorded conversations with Planned Parenthood officials.
The videos allegedly expose Planned Parenthood’s organ harvesting business and have generated an anti-abortion sentiment nationwide.
But Stinnett and Quintero both said they were skeptical of the videos when they came out.
Stinnett said the videos were framed in a way that used fear-tactics to scare people into believing they were factual.
“It’s not that the video is untrue, because Planned Parenthood was doing research on consensually donated fetal tissues," she said.
Quintero said he believes the media has manipulated and persuaded people solidly based on opinion, not facts.
“It is especially unfortunate in this situation because it adds to the many reasons why a woman’s choice is discredited and devalued,” he said.
When asked about the possibility of the videos being false, Neal said the video creators could be in for some trouble.
“I think that Planned Parenthood would have a right to sue for slander," she said.
To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.