Planned Parenthood Clarifies Position: Babies Who Survive Abortions Should Not Be Killed
Planned Parenthood clarified Thursday that it is not in favor of killing babies who survive a botched abortion. The clarification came after a representative of Florida Planned Parenthood suggested otherwise. The organization believes that taking a life should only be legal when the life is in the mother's womb.
In a statement before Florida lawmakers, Lillian Tamayo of Planned Parenthood said, "medical guidelines and ethics already compel physicians facing life-threatening circumstances to respond, and Planned Parenthood physicians provide high-quality medical care and adhere to the most rigorous professional standards, including providing emergency care. In the extremely unlikely event that the scenario presented by the panel of legislators should happen, of course Planned Parenthood would provide appropriate care to both the woman and the infant."
The confusion over whether Planned Parenthood believes infanticide should be legal began last week after Alisa LaPolt Snow of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates was asked, "If a baby is born on a table as a result of a botched abortion, what would Planned Parenthood want to have happen to that child that is struggling for life?"
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Snow replied, "We believe that any decision that's made should be left up to the woman, her family, and the physician."
When asked if Planned Parenthood physicians would act to save a baby if the baby were still alive after an abortion procedure, Snow answered, "I do not have that information."
Planned Parenthood's clarification came after Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus criticized the organization's apparent support of infanticide.
"Not once in her testimony did the Planned Parenthood representative say the newborn baby has a right to life. Not once did she say anyone has a duty to care for the child. Whether the living, breathing child survives is up to the adults in the room because, as we now know, Planned Parenthood doesn't believe the baby has rights," Priebus wrote.
Planned Parenthood's description of the infanticide of abortion survivors as an "extremely unlikely event" comes the same week in which jurors heard testimony in the trial of abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell, who is charged with murdering seven babies who survived his attempted abortions.
On Thursday, jurors heard Steven Massof, an assistant to Gosnell who has already pled guilty in the case, testify that the babies had a heartbeat and "visible chest movement" when he or Gosnell would "sever the spine" and "snip the neck."
"We had to ensure fetal demise. We had to prevent life. We had to kill. Simple as that," Massof said.
