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ByDavidCrary The Associated Press NEW YORK Responding to a furor over undercover videos, Planned Parenthood says it will maintain pro- grams at some of its clinics that make fetal tissue avail- able for research, but will no longer accept any sort of payment to cover the costs of those programs. Anti-abortion activists who recently released a se- ries of covertly filmed videos havecontendedthatPlanned Parenthood officials sought profits from their programs providing post-abortion fe- tal tissue to researchers. Planned Parenthood said the videos were deceptively edited and denied seeking any payments beyond le- gally permitted reimburse- ment of costs. The new policy — forgo- ing even permissible reim- bursement — was outlined in a letter sent Tuesday by Planned Parenthood's pres- ident, Cecile Richards, to Francis Collins, the direc- tor of the National Insti- tutes of Health. "Planned Parenthood's policies on fetal tissue do- nation already exceed the legal requirements," Rich- ards wrote. "Now we're go- ing even further in order to take away any basis for attacking Planned Parent- hood to advance an anti- abortion political agenda." The videos were released, starting in mid-July, by a group of anti-abortion ac- tivists calling themselves the Center for Medical Progress. Activists posed as representatives of a biomed- ical firm and sought to ne- gotiate the purchase of fetal organs from some Planned Parenthood personnel. Republicans in control of Congress have responded to the videos by launching several investigations of Planned Parenthood, along with efforts to cut off the or- ganization's federal fund- ing. Most of that funding is reimbursement for Medic- aid patients receiving can- cer screenings, contracep- tion and other non-abor- tion services. Planned Parenthood says its fetal tissue programs currently take place in only two states — California and Washington — at about a half-dozen of the 700 health centers run by the organiza- tion nationwide. Planned Parenthood's executive vice president, Dawn Laguens, said the Washington state affiliate already had a policy of ac- cepting no reimbursement for its costs, and the Cali- fornia affiliate will now fol- low the same policy. "I don't think it will have a huge impact on their budget," Laguens said. "For Planned Parenthood, this was always about one thing — honoring the desire of women to contribute to lifesaving research. It was never about money." While selling fetal tissue for profit is illegal, a 1993 law passed by Congress with bipartisan support al- lows women who undergo abortions to donate fetal tissue for use in scientific research. The law allowed entities supplying the tissue to recover the costs of run- ning such programs. During the three-month controversy over the vid- eos, some of Planned Par- enthood's critics have called a ban on research using do- nated fetal tissue. However, there has been strong de- fense of the practice from within the medical and sci- entific establishment. The Department of Health and Human Ser- vices, in a letter to Congress in August, said fetal tissue "continues to be a critical resource for important ef- forts such as research on degenerative eye disease, human development dis- orders such as Down syn- drome, and infectious dis- eases, among a host of other diseases." Early reaction to the an- nouncement divided along party lines in Congress, where Democrats have de- picted the multiple Repub- lican investigations as base- less. RESPONSE TO UNDERCOVER VIDEOS PlannedParenthoodtoforgo payment in fetal tissue programs JACQUELYNMARTIN—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Cecile Richards is sworn in Tuesday before testifying at a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Hearing on "Planned Parenthood's Taxpayer Funding" in Washington. By Heather Hollingsworth The Associated Press KANSASCITY,MO. Two fire- fighters involved in rescu- ing two residents from a burning Kansas City build- ing died after a wall col- lapsed on them, authori- ties said. Fire Chief Paul Berardi said two other firefighters were injured Monday night as the massive fire engulfed the building comprising businesses and apartments on the city's northeast side. "They did not die in vain," he told KSHB-TV Monday night. "They saved two civilians, carried them out of the second floor on ladders, before the wall col- lapsed." All firefighters were ac- counted for and outside the building when part of the second story apparently caved in, forcing a wall to collapse outwards about 30 feet and trapping the four firefighters who had been working to protect a nearby grocery store from the blaze, Berardi said at a news conference Tuesday. Soon after, two mayday calls indicated firefighters were in "urgent distress," he said. A rapid interven- tion team witnessed the collapse and pulled them from the rubble. The fire- fighters were rushed to hos- pitals, where two were pro- nounced dead, he said. Berardi appeared to be fighting back tears as he identifiedthedead as17-year department veteran Larry J. Leggio, 43, and 13-year vet- eran John V. Mesh, 39. He said two people were rescued from the building shortly before the collapse but on Tuesday he didn't in- dicate what role the injured and dead firefighters played in that rescue. He said an- other person also may have been rescued from inside the structure. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the fam- ilies of those lost and in- jured and with their peers throughout KCFD," he said, adding that "the outpour- ing of condolences has been amazing." One of the firefighters was treated and released from a hospital Monday night and the other could be released Tuesday, he said. Fire crews remained at the scene Tuesday morning, but the fire was under control. Berardi said the cause of the fire did not appear to be suspicious but that a re- sponse team from the fed- eral Bureau of Alcohol, To- bacco, Firearms and Explo- sives would help with the investigation. Mayor Sly James said he was praying for the fire- fighters. "Unfortunately situa- tions like this really bring home to all of us the dan- gers that firefighters and police officers confront ev- ery day," he said. WALL COLLAPSED 2 fir efi gh te rs d ie i n Ka ns as C it y bl az e Call your Daily News advertising representative to place your space reservation today! 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