In North Carolina, senators approved a bill banning the sale or donation of aborted babies’ body parts with a vote of 43-3 in the upper chamber. The author of the legislation, Sen. Brad Barefoot (R-Wake), said he was inspired to introduce the measure after videos were released exposing Planned Parenthood’s organ harvesting business.
Now the bill heads to the House of Representatives for a concurrence vote, which is scheduled for Monday. If passed, the bill would also permanently ban giving state funds for family planning services to groups that perform abortions. That portion of the legislation would affect Planned Parenthood programs in Fayetteville and Wilmington.
As LifeNews previously reported, ten videos released by The Center for Medical Progress shocked the nation and initiated Congressional investigations into Planned Parenthood’s organ harvesting business. Additionally, 13 states responded to the videos and launched investigations into the abortion corporation including Arizona, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Kansas, Missouri, Arizona, Indiana, Ohio, Georgia, Texas and Louisiana.
Sen. Barefoot said the videos reveal “that a marketplace for the parts and remains of unborn children is growing in this country.” He added, “The videos are utterly gruesome, callous and their contents represent a very dark and depraved part of our culture.” WRAL News reports that the legislation was first unveiled in the Senate Rules committee yesterday afternoon.
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Sen. Terry Van Duyn (D-Buncombe) argued against the measure and said it would “impede scientific research that we need.” She also said the contract ban unfairly targets Planned Parenthood. “It mischaracterizes profoundly the work of an organization that has worked for decades to improve women’s health. It defunds some of the best work that is done in this state to prevent teen pregnancy,” Van Duyn explained.
On Facebook, the pro-abortion senator said, “Today I voted against the bill that will prevent funding from going to Planned Parenthood programs that have shown to be effective in preventing teen pregnancies. We should not be playing politics with programs that help young women.”
However, Sen. Barefoot argued that the legislation is critical for North Carolina because of Planned Parenthood’s lucrative business. He said that his bill “seeks to provide some level of dignity to unborn children who lose their lives due to an abortion.”
Earlier this month, state legislators proposed a new state budget in North Carolina that would completely de-fund Planned Parenthood. “A provision within the final state budget agreement this week bars state funds for new or renewed contracts for things like family planning or pregnancy prevention programs to any group that performs abortions,” WRAL reports. “Planned Parenthood isn’t identified, but a regional Planned Parenthood affiliate executive says it’s clear the group is being targeted for political reasons.” The budget would eliminate $135,000 from the abortion business, according to Melissa Reed with Planned Parenthood South Atlantic.
