--- 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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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's weekday health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free weekday newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=15e46ee0-0dae-4f92-bc82-6dd5fb37a31c&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) ## 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.” ## Transcript A majority of women, 95 % do not regret having an abortion according to a new study published in the medical journal Plus One. The study, conducted by the Bixby Center for Global Reproduction Health at UC San Francisco's School of Medicine surveyed 670 women over three years. Many women said they had an abortion because of financial reasons and it being not the right time. According to the nonprofit research organization Guttmacher Institute, seven states require that before women have an abortion, they undergo counseling about the negative psychological effects. While other studies suggest less than 5 % of women regret abortions, Many anti- abortion proponents can test that. Depression, anxiety, substance abuse and suicidal thoughts and behaviors and it's a very widespread problem. One of the study's lead researcher Doctor [ UNKNOWN ] acknowledges these emotions but says they are not long term. She told Yahoo, as we note in our 2013 paper on women's emotions one week after the abortion, We found that many women experience negative emotions, anger, sadness, guilt, regret, as well as positive emotions, relief, happiness, with relief predominating. 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