Planned Parenthood is planning swift retribution against the perpetrators of the deplorable and illegal smear campaign that has been leveled against the vital women’s health non-profit by far-right wing anti-abortion extremists. The Center for Medical Progress, which does not employ any medical professionals, arranged a vast fraud by creating a fake biomedical company in order to attempt to “purchase” fetal tissues, secretly recording interviews with Planned Parenthood officials and then editing the footage to mislead and misrepresent the discussion that actually took place.
Planned Parenthood Executive Vice President Dawn Laguens told The Hill that her organization is set to take action against the CMP: “I absolutely do believe that they have violated laws in terms of how they secured these videos… But the fraud is also in how they have presented them and in the editing.” Several of the videos were recorded in California, where it is illegal to record a conversation without the consent of both parties.
Thirteen states have squandered countless tax dollars on “investigating” Planned Parenthood. Not a single one has uncovered any sort of questionable conduct or misuse of materials. The fetal tissue extracted from aborted fetuses is used in critical medical research, attempting to cure deadly diseases like HIV/AIDS.
The right-wing’s vicious smear campaign against women’s rights and healthcare will ultimately amount to naught. President Obama has already threatened to take action against states that cut Medicaid funds to Planned Parenthood, which are not used for abortions in anyway. Senate Democrats have already stymied one attempt to cut the group’s federal funding entirely. The polls show that Planned Parenthood is more popular among Americans than every single Republican candidate for president. The American people recognize the incredible work that Planned Parenthood does across the world. The non-profit deserves much better than to be besmirched by religious zealots.