Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Congressional Republicans Scramble Over Strategy To Defund Planned Parenthood
Reuters: Republicans Tangle Over Next Steps On Planned Parenthood
Conservative Republicans in the U.S. Congress want to keep pressing the attack on Planned Parenthood by trying to cut off its federal funds, but Republican leaders are sounding wary with crucial tax and budget issues looming ahead. After three weeks of controversy over the women's healthcare and abortion provider, Republicans are in disarray over their next steps in a fight that could run for months if it gets enmeshed in a budget debate on track to begin next month. (Cornwell and Cassella, 8/6)
Los Angeles Times: Planned Parenthood Videos Highlight Questions About Fetal Tissue Research
Who released the videos, and what is the dispute about? A California nonprofit called the Center for Medical Progress has released five heavily edited videos, which it says were taped in “undercover” operations. Members of the group posed as a company looking to obtain fetal tissues from clinics that perform abortions. The center is run by David Daleiden, who previously was associated with the antiabortion group Live Action. ... What does federal law say about procuring fetal tissue and organs following an abortion? Donation of fetal tissue and organs for medical purposes is legal, and groups are allowed to charge “reasonable” fees to cover costs associated with “transportation, implantation, processing, preservation, quality control or storage” of the material that a woman has agreed to donate. The 1993 law prohibits doctors from altering abortion procedures to meet the demand for intact body parts and forbids charging anything beyond those reasonable costs. (Mai-Duc, 8/5)
Politico: NIH, FDA Tied To Fetal Tissue Firm
One of the companies identified as a fetal tissue supplier in sting videos of Planned Parenthood counts two federal health agencies among its customers, earning at least $300,000 for material used in research of treatments for HIV and eye disease, officials confirmed to POLITICO. It’s unknown whether the nonprofit, Advanced Bioscience Resources, got any of that fetal tissue from abortions performed at Planned Parenthood clinics. (Haberkorn and Norman, 8/6)
