Post by pavel on May 1, 2016 0:52:52 GMT -6
Texas lawmakers continued their anti-abortion witch hunt on Thursday morning under the guise of conducting a committee hearing ostensibly focused on fetal tissue research, albeit this time with a little less spectacle.
The House State Affairs Committee, led by Rep. Byron Cook, R-Corsicana, met to “study the policies used by research and medical entities to adhere to the highest ethical standards for acquiring human fetal tissue for medical and scientific purposes.” Specifically, the committee was, among other directives from House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, to determine whether additional disclosure and reporting requirements, “are necessary to ensure moral and ethical research practices.” Cook is expected to consider filing legislation next session aimed at tightening fetal tissue donation rules.
The meeting is a direct response to the allegations of fetal tissue sale by Planned Parenthood facilities purported by undercover, heavily edited videos from anti-choice activist group the Center for Medical Progress. The claims have turned up no evidence of wrongdoing in Texas or any other state. In fact, in January a Harris County grand jury decided to indict David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt, two of the activists involved in making the allegations against the reproductive health provider with second-degree felonies for tampering with government records; they found no misconduct on the part of Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast. Moreover, no Planned Parenthood facility in Texas currently partakes in fetal tissue donation programs. (According to Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas, the health provider was not invited to testify on Thursday.)
Despite all this, lawmakers continue to press abortion providers and regulators over their involvement with fetal tissue research, searching in vain for a problem that does not exist. Over the summer a similar hearing held by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee featured a train of vehement anti-choice advocates that used the platform to bash Planned Parenthood and abortion care services. Unlike the July hearing, Thursday’s meeting at least featured a more balanced roster of testifiers, including medical professionals and state health officials. However, the anti-choice camp was well-represented, again using government-funded time as a soapbox to criticize abortion providers based on unfounded claims.
Read more: www.austinchronicle.com/daily/news/2016-04-28/texas-lawmakers-continue-anti-abortion-witch-hunt/
The House State Affairs Committee, led by Rep. Byron Cook, R-Corsicana, met to “study the policies used by research and medical entities to adhere to the highest ethical standards for acquiring human fetal tissue for medical and scientific purposes.” Specifically, the committee was, among other directives from House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, to determine whether additional disclosure and reporting requirements, “are necessary to ensure moral and ethical research practices.” Cook is expected to consider filing legislation next session aimed at tightening fetal tissue donation rules.
The meeting is a direct response to the allegations of fetal tissue sale by Planned Parenthood facilities purported by undercover, heavily edited videos from anti-choice activist group the Center for Medical Progress. The claims have turned up no evidence of wrongdoing in Texas or any other state. In fact, in January a Harris County grand jury decided to indict David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt, two of the activists involved in making the allegations against the reproductive health provider with second-degree felonies for tampering with government records; they found no misconduct on the part of Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast. Moreover, no Planned Parenthood facility in Texas currently partakes in fetal tissue donation programs. (According to Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas, the health provider was not invited to testify on Thursday.)
Despite all this, lawmakers continue to press abortion providers and regulators over their involvement with fetal tissue research, searching in vain for a problem that does not exist. Over the summer a similar hearing held by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee featured a train of vehement anti-choice advocates that used the platform to bash Planned Parenthood and abortion care services. Unlike the July hearing, Thursday’s meeting at least featured a more balanced roster of testifiers, including medical professionals and state health officials. However, the anti-choice camp was well-represented, again using government-funded time as a soapbox to criticize abortion providers based on unfounded claims.
Read more: www.austinchronicle.com/daily/news/2016-04-28/texas-lawmakers-continue-anti-abortion-witch-hunt/