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Fresno Planned Parenthood Clinics Latest Target Of Anti-Abortion Videos

Fresno’s Planned Parenthood clinics are the latest target in a series of controversial videos about the clinics and their practices. A former employee claims she was pressured to collect fetal body parts without the mother’s consent.

“It really wore me down. The environment is morbid. You can feel it,”

That’s Holly O’Donnell a phlebotomist who says she used to work at Planned Parenthood clinics in Fresno.

The video is the sixth released by the anti-abortion group Center for Medical Progress.

O’Donnell says high demand for certain body parts at specific gestational ages lead to her co-workers collecting fetal body parts without asking for the woman’s consent, which is required by law.

“If there was a higher gestation and the technicians needed it, there are times when they would just take what they wanted. And these mothers don’t know,” O’Donnell said.

O’Donnell says there was similar pressure applied at a clinic in Stockton where she also worked.

Planned Parenthood has been under intense scrutiny for collecting fetal material which is used in medical research.

In a written statement, Planned Parenthood of California categorically denied the allegations “The claims made in this video are false and outrageous. Planned Parenthood follows all laws-period. This group is engaged in a fraud, and other allegations they have made against Planned Parenthood have been discredited.”

In the video, O’Donnell describes herself as ‘very pro-life’ and that she would sometimes tell women at the clinic to not have an abortion.

O’Donnell’s former employer also denies that her claims of obtaining fetal material without consent.

Jeffrey Hess is a reporter and Morning Edition news host for Valley Public Radio. Jeffrey was born and raised in a small town in rural southeast Ohio. After graduating from Otterbein University in Columbus, Ohio with a communications degree, Jeffrey embarked on a radio career. After brief stops at stations in Ohio and Texas, and not so brief stops in Florida and Mississippi, Jeffrey and his new wife Shivon are happy to be part Valley Public Radio.