Planned Parenthood has been in the hot seat recently as an audit was called to try to stop state funding for the corporation following accusations of staff illegally selling fetuses without the consent of patients.
In light of these allegations, Planned Parenthood claims to offer patients the opportunity to donate aborted fetuses to medical research, according to Beth H. Parker, chief legal council of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California.
Aborted fetuses have been used since the 1930s for research of vaccines and stem cells, which can lead to treatment discoveries.
The local Planned Parenthood clinic in Butte County has received attention from protestors due to the allegations. Protesters picketed with signs and used the hashtag #DefundPlannedParenthood.
Medi-Cal patient reimbursements provide Planned Parenthood with $200 million each year. The audit was blocked, and legislatures noted that Planned Parenthood provides vital women’s services. It also notes that the money needs to continue to be used for such purposes.
Despite the dissatisfaction caused by abortion services, these services only account for 3 percent of what Planned Parenthood does. Planned Parenthood actually provides numerous other services that can be beneficial to students and Butte County residents.
Toni Donovan, education manager for Planned Parenthood in Northern California, confirms these statistics. Although this statistic is nationwide, Donovan said the numbers here in Butte County match up.
Donovan shared how the insurance aspect works in Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood works with FamilyPACT, an insurance program for sexual and reproductive health.
“If someone does not have any other form of insurance and they meet the income guidelines and are able to reproduce, they qualify for FamilyPACT,” she said.
This means patients can receive treatment free of cost at Planned Parenthood clinics.
Planned Parenthood assists many students at Chico State. Without state funding, Planned Parenthood would not be able to provide for nearly as many patients as it does now, and many students would be unprotected and alone in sexual and reproductive health, she said.
Sarah Strausser can be reached at [email protected] or @strausser_sarah on Twitter.
