Media Weighs In: Accusations Against Planned Parenthood Have No Evidence

"Inflammatory", "Another Piece of Propaganda", "Clearly Edited"

ThinkProgress: 
No, Planned Parenthood Isn’t Selling ‘Aborted Baby Parts’

“The latest example of a coordinated effort to discredit the abortion provider by making inflammatory accusations about its services that are taken out of context.”

“David Daleiden, the media contact for the new investigative video project, used to work for Live Action News, the anti-choice group founded by Lila Rose that has pioneered sting operations at Planned Parenthood clinics for years. Live Action is notorious for releasing edited videos to mislead viewers about what Planned Parenthood employees are saying.

“One of Live Action’s particular specialties is splicing together footage in a way that highlights abortion’s gory medical details.”

Gawker:
No, Planned Parenthood is not Selling Aborted Fetal Body Parts

“Would be shocking, certainly—if any of it were true.”

“In other words, this is a case of words being taken grossly out of context. Planned Parenthood is doing nothing even remotely shady here, nor are they doing something they haven’t publicly discussed before on multiple occasions. The real question now, though, is who’s behind this whole campaign in the first place.”

“The video, which had supposedly been held onto for a year before being released earlier this morning, was put out by The Center for Medical Progress, which describes itself as “a group of citizen journalists dedicated to monitoring and reporting on medical ethics and advances.” Oddly enough, 10 of the the 11 total tweets made by the group’s Twitter account are from today, while the only two posts on its website seem to be about the Planned Parenthood video. And just like its Twitter account, the group’s Facebook page is only a few months old.”

Cosmo.com:
That Planned Parenthood Video Isn't the Scandal Abortion Opponents Are Making It Out to Be

“Now, frankly, I'm just going to yawn.”

“The tactic was popularized by Live Action, an anti-abortion policy group founded by Lila Rose, and undercover, edited videos — especially those targeting Planned Parenthood — are her forte. Meanwhile, David Daleiden, the media contact for the project, is the former director of research for Live Action, and according to Breitbart News, he held that position for five years and "is no stranger to undercover investigations of Planned Parenthood."

“After all, the same activists and policy makers who are promoting this video are also the same activists and policy leaders who believe that it is wrong to remove a person from life support, even if he or she has been declared brain-dead and incapable of recovery. They oppose euthanasia, no matter the suffering of the person whose life is slipping away. They believe that a fertilized egg kept frozen in limbo forever is "pro-life" but the use of that same blastocyst for scientific research to cure disease is "murder" and immoral. And they believe that there is no more honorable of a sacrifice than a mother who endangers her own life in order to reject a medically recommended abortion, even if she loses her life in the end.

“Abortion opponents may be winning in their own media circles with this PR campaign against Planned Parenthood, but when it comes to actually proving illegal activity, at this point, their evidence is sorely lacking.”

Slate:
Live Action Puts Out Another Titillating But Misleading Video About Planned Parenthood

“But this isn't evidence of wrongdoing. It's another...piece of propaganda.”

“There is no evidence from the video of either claim.”

“This is Live Action's typical method: being as lurid and grotesque as possible to titillate its largely conservative audience. As William Saletan laid out in painstaking detail for Slate in 2013, Live Action really knows how to zero in on those gross medical details for maximum impact.”

“Live Action is, above all, a group of propagandists who roll out lurid and titillating videos to push an agenda that expands far beyond just trying to ban legal abortion.”

Washington Post:
Undercover video shows Planned Parenthood official discussing fetal organs used for research

“The Center for Medical Progress was established by Daleiden, a controversial antiabortion activist who previously worked with Live Action, another antiabortion group known for its “stings” of Planned Parenthood using actors and undercover videos.”

“The accusation that Planned Parenthood is illegally selling the organs of fetuses is not new among antiabortion advocates. The controversy gained national attention in 2000, after the publication of an undercover investigation by a Texas-based antiabortion group, Life Dynamics, which was also involved in Tuesday's ­video release.”

Daily Dot:  
No, Planned Parenthood wasn't caught on video 'selling dead baby parts'

“The video shared by the Daily Caller and others was clearly edited; however, it wasn’t apparent how edited until the "full footage," a video nearly 2.5 hours longer, was released Monday afternoon. Nucatola’s conversation in the full clip appears less like the black market organ sale depicted by conservative websites, and more like a discussion with two individuals who presented themselves as employees of a legitimate medical company.”

The Guardian:
Abortion is a medical procedure. The reality of those often isn't pleasant

“The truth of the video, however – which was released by a previously unheard-of organization led by a man who has described himself as an “amateur varanid keeper” – is that it shows nothing illegal. “

“I’m sure we’ll see a renewed Republican effort to attack and even defund Planned Parenthood”

Learn More

Read and share the blog post “5 Facts about the Latest Video Smear Attack on Planned Parenthood,” as well as roundup and rebuttals from Media Matters (here and here) and American Bridge.

You also can learn about:

• The services that Planned Parenthood provides. 
• Planned Parenthood's statement
• Planned Parenthood's response to the false allegations

Tags: Abortion, Planned Parenthood, Video, Fact Check