I am appalled by Rep. Ellie Espling’s opinion piece in Saturday’s newspaper, Oct. 24, “Maine people owe Planned Parenthood nothing.” How dare she voice such inaccurate information? She upholds the tea party falsehood that Planned Parenthood is engaging in the sale of fetal parts. None of the investigations undertaken across the nation has found any improprieties or illegal activities at any of the investigated clinics.

Referring to a recent poll that shows 70 percent support for Planned Parenthood, which she says was commissioned by Planned Parenthood (a moral failure, according to her), she asks, “If it’s confident that people agree with its position, why stack the deck?” Why indeed?

Why then is she resorting to stating, as fact, misinformation purporting something that has not been proven, only alleged by a less-than-ethical organization using sleazy methods of filming and then deceptively editing, which manipulates the viewer into making wrong assumptions?

This bill she is promoting through her column requires that Planned Parenthood document the name and address of the person who “took possession of fetal tissue” and “the amount of compensation paid in exchange for the tissue” and whether “the patient granted informed consent to the exchange of custody.”

This language is intended to give the false impression that fetal donation to medical laboratories occurs in Maine. It does not.

Fortunately, the bipartisan Maine Legislative Council saw through this near libelous and misleading misinformation and rejected the bill before it ever hit the floor of the House or Senate.

I find her rant even more egregious than what I hear from the national tea party because I don’t expect that type of extremist behavior in Maine. We are a more moderate, respectful and pragmatic state.

Maggie Ricker  lives in Augusta.