While Ben Carson confirmed yesterday that he participated in a study using fetal brain tissue obtained through abortions, Carson has now denied ever working with fetal tissue obtained through abortions.
Carson appeared on Fox News last night to deny his involvement (while also confirming his involvement) and along the way he clearly enunciated the reason why Planned Parenthood is doing the right thing.
"To suggest that I'm in the laboratory actually doing the research or retrieving fetal tissue is nothing but propaganda," Carson said later, noting that fetal tissue can "come from a variety of different places."
"Ectopic pregnancies, spontaneous abortions — but just because they get the fetal tissue, does it mean they should throw it out? Of course they don't. That's how science is advanced," Carson said.
There's only one place fetal tissue comes from: fetuses. No one has actually accused Carson of performing abortions himself and "retrieving fetal tissue," but there's no denying where the tissue came from.
Carson is correct that the tissue should not be discarded if there is scientific value in studying it. That's precisely why Planned Parenthood transfers the tissue to research labs.
There is nothing wrong with what Planned Parenthood does, but simply transferring tissue to research labs is not what the right wing has accused Planned Parenthood of doing.
They have accused Planned Parenthood of no less than "selling" fetal tissue as part of a criminal enterprise with implications that the organization performs abortion just to make money from them.
It's a grotesque conspiracy theory created for purpose of setting women's healthcare back 50 years. This attack on scientific research is a red herring for the same war against abortion and a woman's right to choose they've been waging for decades.