Planned Parenthood controversy reaches Placerville
By Sammy Caiola, Sacramento Bee
StemExpress, a Placerville biotech firm specializing in stem cell procurement for scientific research, is under fire after being mentioned in a viral YouTube video created by abortion opponents.
The video, posted Tuesday, shows footage of Dr. Deborah Nucatola, senior director of medical services at the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, discussing over lunch the harvesting of fetal organs for research. She’s talking with two actors from the anti-abortion group Center for Medical Progress, who were posing as representatives from a biotech firm.
The eight-minute undercover clip, which has garnered over 1 million views and inspired the popular anti-abortion Twitter hashtag “#PPSellsBabyParts,” is edited in a way to suggest Planned Parenthood and its affiliates profit from fetal tissue and organs procured during abortions, which is against federal law.