--- title: Planned Parenthood Undercover Abortion: How Donated Fetuses Are Used description: Research using fetuses, like those donated by Planned Parenthood, has led to medical advances in treating Parkinson's Disease and Polio canonical: https://time.com/3958621/why-planned-parenthood-provides-fetal-cells-to-scientists/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-07-15T18:17:19.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:58:33.421Z article:section: Health og:title: Why Planned Parenthood Provides Fetal Cells to Scientists og:description: Donating cells from aborted fetuses for research has been practiced for decades og:url: https://time.com/3958621/why-planned-parenthood-provides-fetal-cells-to-scientists/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfed21d8db56b23a5/69885b06e20a87209aa8c4dd/planned-parenthood.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Planned Parenthood og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why Planned Parenthood Provides Fetal Cells to Scientists twitter:description: Donating cells from aborted fetuses for research has been practiced for decades twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfed21d8db56b23a5/69885b06e20a87209aa8c4dd/planned-parenthood.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why Planned Parenthood Provides Fetal Cells to Scientists > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ## Video: Study Finds Most Women Don't 'Regret' Getting An Abortion [Watch (HLS stream): Study Finds Most Women Don't 'Regret' Getting An Abortion](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/9ag1bi4P.m3u8) (1:15)  _Published 2015-07-15. A study from the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine says after three years, most women didn't regret having an abortion._  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Jul 15, 2015 6:17 PM UTC  A sign hangs in the offices of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America December 7, 2001 in New York City. A sign hangs in the offices of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America December 7, 2001 in New York City.Mario Tama—Getty Images  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Jul 15, 2015 6:17 PM UTC A video showing a Planned Parenthood doctor discussing the transfer of fetal tissue from abortions to researchers put the organization [on the defensive](http://time.com/3958197/planned-parenthood-republican-video-candidates/) this week after its release by undercover anti-abortion activists. The activists claim to have caught the organization perpetrating a federal crime by selling human body parts. While the casual discussion about abortion procedures depicted in the video may upset people on both sides of the issue, donating cells from aborted fetuses for research has been practiced for decades and affirmed by leading medical organizations. Research using fetuses has also led to medical advances, including in Parkinson’s Disease and the development of a Polio vaccine. Rush University neurosurgery professor Jeffrey Kordower said that he and his fellow researchers faced ethical questions when researching Parkinson’s Disease, but there was “very little discussion” about the ethics of using aborted fetuses. The American Medical Association (AMA), for instance, separates a woman’s decision to have an abortion from the decision to donate fetal tissue and argues that fetal tissue has the potential to save lives. “Fetal tissue has intrinsic properties…that make it attractive for transplantation research,” the AMA said in a [statement](http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=380413&resultClick=1) in 1991. The 1991 statement also lays out a set of rules and procedures researchers and donors must follow to remain ethically sound. Among them is a rule prohibiting the sale of fetuses. The undercover video points to a moment in the video when Planned Parenthood Senior Director Deborah Nucatola says that receiving a fetus may cost $30-100 per specimen to allege that the organization violated AMA guidelines and federal law. But, as Planned Parenthood explained in a statement, the organization’s policy allows recipients of fetal donations to reimburse the organization for costs associated with the donations. “There is no financial benefit for tissue donation for either the patient or for Planned Parenthood,” said spokesperson Eric Ferrero in a statement. “In some instances, actual costs, such as the cost to transport tissue to leading research centers, are reimbursed, which is standard across the medical field.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3958621/why-planned-parenthood-provides-fetal-cells-to-scientists/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3958621/why-planned-parenthood-provides-fetal-cells-to-scientists/"},"headline":"Why Planned Parenthood Provides Fetal Cells to Scientists","datePublished":"2015-07-15T18:17:19.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:58:33.421Z","description":"Donating cells from aborted fetuses for research has been practiced for decades","url":"https://time.com/3958621/why-planned-parenthood-provides-fetal-cells-to-scientists/","keywords":["Research"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfed21d8db56b23a5/69885b06e20a87209aa8c4dd/planned-parenthood.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Justin Worland","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/justin-worland/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfed21d8db56b23a5/69885b06e20a87209aa8c4dd/planned-parenthood.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Planned Parenthood","caption":"Planned Parenthood","creditText":"Mario Tama—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/research/","name":"Research"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3958621/why-planned-parenthood-provides-fetal-cells-to-scientists/","name":"Why Planned Parenthood Provides Fetal Cells to Scientists"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Study Finds Most Women Don't 'Regret' Getting An Abortion","description":"A study from the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine says after three years, most women didn't regret having an abortion.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/9ag1bi4P/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-07-15T14:38:55.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/9ag1bi4P.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3958621/why-planned-parenthood-provides-fetal-cells-to-scientists/","duration":"PT1M15S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3958621/why-planned-parenthood-provides-fetal-cells-to-scientists/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```