The Commentary Rough Draft:
ENDING MEDICAID PAYMENTS TO PLANNED PARENTHOOD

Ending Medicaid Payments to Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) is a national non-profit organization that advocates for reproductive health in the U.S. with affiliates nationwide and operate in every state. Planned Parenthood centers offer care in routine gynecological exams, breast and cervical cancer screenings, contraceptive services, abortion care, sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, and HIV testing and education to three million women, men, and adolescents. (“Planned Parenthood Action”, 2015). One would think then, that such a prestigious organization that offers these much-needed medical services to individuals would be on the receiving end of as much funding as possible and advocating for more and would be operating beyond approach. Why then, have States such as Arkansas, Louisiana, Utah, Alabama and New Hampshire, all taken steps to defund Medicaid payments to this ‘prestigious’ organization? What would be that line that had to have been crossed to pave the way for such drastic actions? Is it justified? The answer, human trafficking and a resounding ‘yes’ for its justifiability!
Planned Parenthood offers a number of services for women mostly, who otherwise cannot afford proper medical care or even mediocre medical care at best. So when Arkansas Governor, Asa Hutchinson, held a press conference covered by news outlets such as MSNBC and ABC news in August 2015, to put an end to Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood, despite numerous Federal warnings, only to join other States who had already done so, was a monumental move and an in depth review had to be undertaken.
The cause, required little searching. Human trafficking, the illegal selling of body parts. Who would think a prestigious organization such as this would be involved in something so gruesome? But that is exactly what they have been accused of and sad to say the evidence supporting this accusation is past reproach. The illegal selling of body parts, disguised in the name of scientific research, is reason enough to put a halt to any government funding. And quite frankly, who can blame them? It’s overly surprising that more States and affiliates of this organization haven’t opted to do so already.
The evidence is overwhelmingly powerful and convincing. The Center for Medical Progress released a 2hr 42 min video from their “Human Capital” series, a nearly 3 year-long journalism study into the body trafficking done by PPFA. This video showed beyond a doubt that this once thought prestigious organization is now nothing more than a body part trafficking ring. During the course of this undercover interview with PPFA, Senior Director of Medical Services, Dr. Deborah Nucatola describes in graphic detail the procedures that Planned Parenthood undertakes to harvest and sell the body parts of aborted unborn children. Federal law prohibits the sale of body parts of aborted babies and the sale or purchase of human fetal tissue, a federal felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000 (42 U.S.C. 289g-2) (Ertelt, 2015)
As if this story was not already brutal enough, Dr. Nucatola admits that she uses partial-birth abortions where the abortionist pulls a living baby, feet first out of the womb into the birth canal while keeping the head lodged inside the cervix. The living baby’s skull is then punctured with a surgical scissors or trochar, a catheter is inserted in the wound and the baby’s brain is removed using a powerful suction machine effectively causing the skull to collapse and the now dead baby is delivered with only minimal damage to its extremities. (“Partial Birth Abortion”, 2015). It should be noted that partial-birth abortions are banned in the United States because of its cruelty and are only permitted to be used in the case where the mother’s life is in danger but from the video, we can see that PPFA has other ideas, where their doctors are allowed to harvest intact body parts for a quick buck.
Planned Parenthood naturally refutes these claims. Of course, who would want to be caught with their pants down like this?
Not only is there video-graphic evidence but in a separate clip, PPFA President and CEO Cecile Richards is seen and heard praising Dr. Nucatola’s work with fetal tissue collection.
An official statement released by PPFA Vice President of Communications, Eric Fererro, states that tissue harvesting is a common practice in medical research and that the organization only receives legal payment for the cost of the procedure and transportation and requires a mother’s consent before the tissue is given to researchers. PPFA also claims that The Center for Medical Progress has severely edited their tapes and is striving to discredit their institution and good name. (Fererro, 2015)
Regardless of their claims though, the damage has been done. Giving PPFA the benefit of the doubt and agreeing that that some of what was said was misconstrued in some way, it is still clear to see that stricter laws and guidelines need to be implemented in organizations such as these that often look for a loophole to make an extra buck.
The services provided are greatly needed, especially for low-income families where medical care and family planning help is hard to come by. It should not be, however, a free for all to let these large organizations feel that they can get away with body part trafficking or at the very least performing banned and cruel procedures to living babies in the name of ‘Science’, especially when we all know that it’s done just for the money.
This issue affects a very large percentage of the general population is the US. The services provided are greatly needed, especially for low-income families where medical care and family planning help is hard to come by. It should not be, however, a free for all to let these large organizations feel that they can get away with body part trafficking or at the very least performing banned and cruel procedures to living babies in the name of ‘Science’, especially when we all know that it’s done just for the money.
This story is covered by many credible news agencies, MSNBC, CNN, FOX to name a few and adding to that, politicians making their rounds for the 2016 presidential elections, including Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, former Hewlett-Packard Chief Executive Carly Fiorina, even celebrity businessman Donald Trump have had their say on this issue. It is with hope then that whatever skeletons PPFA as in their closets, be brought to light and rectified.
Planned Parenthood Federation of America has been around for a number of years working hand in hand with its affiliates to provide these much-needed services. It is also an accredited institution, but, one that must still be held accountable for its actions. Actions which The Center for Medical Progress is now striving to bring to light.

References
About us. (2015). N.p.: Planned Parenthood. Retrieved from http://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/about-us/
Ertlet, S. (2015). Life News. Retrieved from http://www.lifenews.com/2015/07/14/shock-video-catches-planned-parenthoods-top-doctor-selling-body-parts-of-aborted-babies/ Lachman, S. (2015). HuffPost Politics. N.p.: The Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/planned-parenthood-funding_5616d54fe4b0082030a1c100?utm_hp_ref=planned-parenthood
National Right To Life. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nrlc.org/archive/abortion/facts/pbafacts.html Ferrero, E. (2015). Statement From Planned Parenthood on New Undercover Video. N.p.: Planned Parenthood. Retrieved from
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/newsroom/press-releases/statement-from-planned-parenthood-on-new-undercover-video