MONTGOMERY—Alabama’s Planned Parenthood affiliate in an agreement filed Monday has assured Governor Robert Bentley that it is in compliance with Alabama law and does not participate in the practice of harvesting organs of unborn children and receiving reimbursement, as the national Planned Parenthood organization recently admitted. Governor Bentley announced Monday the concessions in an ongoing lawsuit with Planned Parenthood Southeast.
On August 6, 2015, Governor Bentley terminated the State of Alabama’s Medicaid contract with Planned Parenthood Southeast based on his deep concern that the national organization harvests and sells organs from unborn, aborted babies. As a result of the terminated contract, the Planned Parenthood organization stopped receiving funds from the Alabama Medicaid Agency.
On October 13, 2015, Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America announced that all local affiliates of Planned Parenthood would stop receiving money for fetal organs.
“The national pressure from Alabama and other states led Planned Parenthood to change its practices and no longer engage in the despicable and
Robert Bentley
inhumane practice of selling organs of unborn children,” Governor Robert Bentley said. “I will always fight to protect the rights of the unborn. If any medical provider in Alabama engages in practices that are contrary to accepted standards in the future, we will use every means necessary and available to ensure that those practices end.”
In addition to assuring the state that it complies with Alabama law and does not harvest organs from unborn children. Planned Parenthood Southeast also assured Governor Bentley that it is a separate business entity from the organizations that have admitted to accepting money for harvesting organs in the past.
As a result of the admission by National Planned Parenthood and concessions made by Planned Parenthood Southeast, Alabama Medicaid funding will resume. The minimal funding from Medicaid will specifically pay for routine gynecology exams and birth control methods for Medicaid recipients.
A copy of the agreement can be found here.
MEDIA RELEASE/OFFICE OF GOVERNOR ROBERT BENTLEY
