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Planned Parenthood 2015 undercover videos controversy

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On July 14 2015, the Center for Medical Progress (CMP) released a number of highly-edited and shortened videos,[1][2][3] which showed Planned Parenthood's senior director of medical services, Dr. Deborah Nucatola, discussing the disposition of parts from aborted fetuses with CMP activists, who were posing as potential buyers for a human biologics company.[4][5] CMP founder David Daleiden claimed that the videos were evidence of "criminal conspiracy to make money off of aborted baby parts reaches to the very highest levels of their organization."[5] In response, Planned Parenthood condemned what it called the video’s false accusations, asserting that Nucatola had been discussing the voluntary donation of tissue for scientific research. Planned parenthood spokesman Eric Ferrero stated that these donations occurred "with full, appropriate consent from patients and under the highest ethical and legal standards,” and that “there is no financial benefit for tissue donation for either the patient or for Planned Parenthood."[4][5] Both Planned Parenthood and the un-edited video - which CMP had also released - suggested that any charges which Nucatola discussed would have been applied solely to the costs of the donation.[5][6]

The CMP's videos and allegations attracted widespread media coverage, and re-invigorated long-term political conflicts over Planned Parenthood's activities.[7] Responding to the videos and to CMP's claims, three different congressional committees - all of them republican-controlled - as well as officials in Georgia, Indiana, and Ohio all launched investigations into Planned Parenthood's tissue collection activities.[5][8] On July 30, 2015, Indiana Republican Governor Mike Pence announced that the state's investigation did not find any evidence of wrongdoing in Planned Parenthood's handling of fetal tissue.[9] A bill to de-fund Planned Parenthood was voted down by the Senate on August 3, 2015.[10]

CMP's edited videos

The CMP videos were edited sections of a 2-hour-long conversation between Nucatola, Melissa Farrell,[2] and two actors hired by the CMP in 2013. The actors were posing as representatives of a fake company called Biomax Procurement Services, which had represented itself to Planned Parenthood as a potential buyer of human tissues.[11] In the videos, Nucatola discussed fetal hearts, lungs and livers and efforts to retrieve these organs intact during an abortion procedure.[5] In the video's Nucatola also gave a range of cost estimates for procuring fetal organs.[12]

While the CMP suggested that the conversation was evidence that Planned Parenthood was engaged in the illegal sale of fetal tissue, Nucatola stated at several points during the discussion that Planned Parenthood did not make money from tissue donations, and that any charges were strictly to cover costs.[13] At one point, she stated that "nobody should be 'selling' tissue," and that "that's just not the goal here."[13] Dawn Laguens, executive vice president of Planned Parenthood, stated: "The latest [fifth] tape has at least 20 substantial and unexplained edits. Previous tapes released by this extremist group were heavily edited in order to distort what the people on the tapes actually said. These videos are intended to shock and deceive the public."[2]

Political impact

The videos were shown to Republican congressmen Trent Franks and Tim Murphy two weeks before being made publicly available,[14] leading commentators to note that the timing of the release appears to coincide with a bipartisan bill to raise money for Susan G. Komen for the Cure.[15] Rand Paul and Diane Black introduced pre-prepared legislation to strip Planned Parenthood of all federal funding.[16][17] On July 14, 2015, House Speaker John Boehner ordered congressional hearings into these practices of Planned Parenthood, and at least one committee committed to scheduling a hearing.[18]

As a direct consequence of the videos, Republicans sponsored a bill to defund Planned Parenthood. On August 3, 2015, that bill failed to pass in the Senate.[19][20][21] The White House said it would oppose any Congressional attempts to defund the organization.[22]

Several Republican Presidential candidates have focused on comments made by Planned Parenthood officials, characterizing tissue donation as a way to profit from abortion: Rick Perry stated "The video showing a Planned Parenthood employee selling the body parts of aborted children is a disturbing reminder of the organization’s penchant for profiting off the tragedy of a destroyed human life."[23]

Carly Fiorina declared "This latest news is tragic and outrageous. This isn’t about "choice." It’s about profiting on the death of the unborn while telling women it’s about empowerment."[23] Rand Paul posted on Twitter "...a video showing [Planned Parenthood]’s top doctor describing how she performs late-term abortions to sell body parts for profit!" and vowed to campaign to defund Planned Parenthood.[17]

Reception

Sherilyn J. Sawyer, the director of Harvard University and Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s biorepository told FactCheck.org that "there’s no way there’s a profit at that price." She wrote that non-profit hospitals provide adult "tissue blocks from surgical procedures" at around $100–500 per block, and noted that "$30-100 is completely reasonable and normal fee."[23] Jim Vaught, president of the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories said that "$30 to $100 per sample is a reasonable charge for clinical operations to recover their costs for providing tissue."[23] Carolyn Compton, the chief medical and science officer of Arizona State University’s National Biomarkers Development Alliance said this was "a modest price tag for cost recovery."[23] Art Caplan, a professor of bioethics at New York University told CNN that "In abortion the primary goal is to give the safest abortion possible, your sole concern has to be the mother and her health."[24] He told The Washington Post that it is "ethically very dangerous" to "put the mom’s health secondary."[25]

A New York Times editorial wrote that the "video campaign is a dishonest attempt to make legal, voluntary and potentially lifesaving tissue donations appear nefarious and illegal."[26] Supporters of Planned Parenthood have complained that the videos were edited, although the Center for Medical Progress has released unedited videos along with the much shorter edited versions.[24][25][26][27]

In response to the videos, Planned Parenthood said that they may donate fetal tissue at the request of a patient, but that such tissue is never sold.[28][29] In response to Planned Parenthood, CMP issued a statement saying: "The Center for Medical Progress follows all applicable laws in the course of our investigative journalism work, and we look forward to showing the public more clear evidence that Planned Parenthood routinely profits from the sale of baby parts and changes the abortion procedures it uses on pregnant women in order to do so. Congress and state authorities are right to continue to hold Planned Parenthood accountable for these atrocities against humanity."[29]

Court orders

In July, a Los Angeles judge placed a temporary restraining order on the release of further videos of employees of Stemexpress, one company with which Planned Parenthood does business, based on California's anti-wiretapping law.[30][31][32]

A Superior Court judge in Los Angeles, and a federal judge in San Francisco ordered the group not to publish footage, and prohibits them from disclosing names or addresses of National Abortion Federation members, or dates and locations of future meetings.[33]

References

  1. ^ "State Probes Find Zero Planned Parenthood Violations As Antiabortion Group Is Sued Over Undercover Videos". Yahoo News. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  2. ^ a b c "Antiabortion group posts another video attacking Planned Parenthood", Washington Post, August 4 2015.
  3. ^ "Fifth Planned Parenthood undercover video released by anti-abortion group," The Guardian, August 4 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Video Accuses Planned Parenthood of Crime", New York Times, July 15 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Covert Video Targets Planned Parenthood Fetal-Parts Policy", New York Times, July 14 2015.
  6. ^ "Planned Parenthood Says Video Part of Decadelong Harassment", New York Times, 20 July 2015.
    • "A nine-minute excerpt the center posted online shows Nucatola saying her organization charges $30 to $100 for such procedures. But in the full version lasting more than two hours, she repeatedly says those prices only cover the procedures' costs, are not for profit and are only performed with the patient's consent."
  7. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/07/20/us/politics/ap-us-congress-planned-parenthood.html
  8. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/16/us/house-republicans-to-investigate-planned-parenthood-over-fetal-tissue.html
  9. ^ "Indiana finds no Planned Parenthood abortion violations after undercover videos prompt probe", Fox News, Associated Press, July 30, 2015, retrieved August 2, 2015
  10. ^ "Senate blocks Planned Parenthood defunding measure", Reuters, August 3 2015.
  11. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/07/20/us/politics/ap-us-congress-planned-parenthood.html
  12. ^ "More Investigations Target Planned Parenthood Policies", New York Times, July 16 2015.
  13. ^ a b "Planned Parenthood Says Video Part of Decadelong Harassment", New York Times, 20 July 2015.
  14. ^ "Lawmakers Knew About Planned Parenthood Video Weeks Ago (Video)". Rollcall.com. 16 July 2015.
  15. ^ "Coincidence ... or Is It? Planned Parenthood 'Sting' Video Isn't First to Derail Legislation". Yahoo Health. 17 July 2015.
  16. ^ Brianna Ehley (22 July 2015). "Republicans offer legislation defunding Planned Parenthood". POLITICO.
  17. ^ a b Selyukh, Alina (July 26, 2015). "Rand Paul plans to keep pushing to defund U.S. Planned Parenthood". Reuters.
  18. ^ Fram, Alan. "John Boehner calls for investigation into whether Planned Parenthood is selling organs". Business Insider UK. Associated Press. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  19. ^ Roberts, Dan (August 3, 2015), Republicans' Planned Parenthood defunding push fails in the Senate, The Guardian, retrieved August 3, 2015 {{citation}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  20. ^ Walsh, Deirdre (August 3, 2015), Senate vote to defund Planned Parenthood fails, CNN, retrieved August 3, 2015 {{citation}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  21. ^ "Senate blocks Planned Parenthood defunding measure". Reuters. 3 Aug 2015.
  22. ^ "White House says would oppose Congress defunding Planned Parenthood". Reuters. 30 Jul 2015.
  23. ^ a b c d e "Unspinning the Planned Parenthood Video". factcheck.org.
  24. ^ a b Almasy, Steve; McLaughlin, Eliott C. (July 15, 2015). "Planned Parenthood exec, fetal body parts subject of controversial video". CNN. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  25. ^ a b Somashekhar, Sandhya; Ohlheiser, Abby (July 21, 2015). "Antiabortion group releases second Planned Parenthood video". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  26. ^ a b "The Campaign of Deception Against Planned Parenthood". New York Times editorial. 22 Jul 2015.
  27. ^ Douthat, Ross (July 25, 2015). "Looking Away From Abortion". New York Times. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  28. ^ "Planned Parenthood says video part of decadelong harassment". 20 Jul 2015.
  29. ^ a b Bassett, Laura (July 20, 2015). "Planned Parenthood: More Sting Videos Are Coming". Huffington Post.
  30. ^ Armario, Christine (July 29, 2015). "Court bars anti-abortion group from releasing new videos". Associated Press. Archived from the original on July 30, 2015.
  31. ^ "StemExpress wins court order in video flap with anti-abortion group". Sacramento Business Journal. 30 July 2015.
  32. ^ "Restraining order issued against anti-abortion group's video". The Exponent Telegram.
  33. ^ "U.S. judge halts release of secretly recorded videos of abortion providers". Los Angeles Times.
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