Planned Parenthood Sells Baby Body Parts? GOP Candidates Reference Fetal Tissue During Abortion Conversation

rtr3w38c — Republican candidates at the GOP Debate Wednesday night talked about the sale of "baby body parts." The Planned Parenthood logo is pictured outside a clinic in Boston, on June 27, 2014. Reuters

Multiple Republican presidential candidates referenced an abortion clinic selling “baby body parts for profit,” during the GOP debate Wednesday night. Their comments are a reference to a viral video from July that claimed Planned Parenthood director Dr. Deborah Nucatola facilitated the illegal sale of aborted fetuses.

The Center for Medical Progress, the right-wing activist group that funded the video, paid actors for the video and edited it to look like Nucatola was unlawfully selling the baby body parts. Republican candidates Carly Fiorina, Sen. Ted Cruz and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal have all called for an investigation to take place.

In truth, it is legal to transfer fetal tissue after abortions for research, news sites like the Washington Post and Gawker have noted. In the video, Nucatola discusses cost, but she was most likely talking about the price of transportation, not profit. She explains a buyer would have to pay $30 to $100, depending on the situation. She also notes that organs like lungs and liver are in high demand.

Planned Parenthood issued a statement after the video went viral noting they did not make a profit off the fetuses from abortions. “In health care, patients sometimes want to donate tissue to scientific research that can help lead to medical breakthroughs, such as treatments and cures for serious diseases. Women at Planned Parenthood who have abortions are no different,” part of the statement read.

Twitter users quickly picked up on the Republican candidates talking about the “selling of baby body parts” and flocked to the 140-character social media site to share their thoughts. Some wondered why the candidates were talking about it, others noted that it’s not the same things as using fetal tissue for research and others said they were ready to turn off the debate once they heard that statement. Some of their responses have been posted below:

Watched 3 mins of #GOPDebate & learned that Obama is selling baby body parts, and Kim Davis has fewer rights than Guantanamo inmates. Bye!
— Tom Lieber (@tommyleeba) September 17, 2015

using fetal tissue for research ≠ selling baby body parts
— cher bathrobe (@pizaqueen) September 17, 2015

I walked upstairs to my parents watching the presidential debate and they were talking about selling baby body parts... What..
— Against The Current (@ATC_UPDATER) September 17, 2015