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Anti-abortion protesters call on city to close new Planned Parenthood facility

Protesters want city to reconsider zoning following release of video discussing sale of fetal tissue, organs

SAN ANTONIO – Anti-abortion protesters are calling on the city of San Antonio to consider shutting down a recently opened Planned Parenthood facility in the wake of a video that was released this week.

That video, produced by a California-based anti-abortion group, raises allegations that Planned Parenthood clinics are selling fetal organs and tissue for profit nationwide.

The video has been met with visceral reactions.

"It made me want to vomit," said Matt McCall, a Republican running for Congress in District 21. "Truly it just made me nauseous."

McCall joined a group of anti-abortion protesters Thursday afternoon in front of Planned Parenthood's location at 2140 Babcock Road.

He said the hidden camera video that captured a conversation with a Planned Parenthood executive and shows her discussing the organization's participation in tissue donation programs and how that tissue is collected, pulls back the curtain on what goes on inside Planned Parenthood facilities.

"It is what's going on: They're trafficking in human tissue. They're probably violating federal law if they're trafficking in body parts without being properly licensed," McCall said. "If they're not licensed to deal in human tissue by the FDA, then they're breaking the law. They should be shut down."

Mike Knuffke and his group, the San Antonio Family Association, fought hard to keep the new Planned Parenthood clinic from opening. He said the city failed to enforce zoning laws and never should have allowed the clinic to open.

Knuffke said in light of the new video, the city should reconsider the issue even though the city has determined the building is properly zoned.

"Stay away from the abortion issue (and) get back to the zoning. This is illegal and now that we know what we know about selling baby parts, it only makes it that much more grotesque," Knuffke said.

In a statement the city defended the zoning of clinic:

"No zoning violation exists for the property at 2140 Babcock. The property located at 2140 Babcock is zoned 'C-1,' which is an appropriate zoning designation for the Planned Parenthood facility under the city's unified development code. No exceptions or waivers were granted to this property."

The San Antonio office of Planned Parenthood said its local affiliates do not participate in any tissue donation programs and never have.

Nationally, Planned Parenthood executives have denied the organization is doing anything illegal, calling the claims made by the producers of the video "outrageous and flat-out untrue."

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