Planned Parenthood's Feeble Response is to Kill the Messenger

Let’s start with some premises. First is the precept that a woman controls her body and has a right to choose. This right is in no way dependent upon the ability of Planned Parenthood to sell the body parts of fetuses. Second, this Supreme Court is not going to overturn Roe v. Wade. Third, Planned Parenthood may or may not have the legal right to sell the baby parts. They claim not to profit from the sale, but if they sold them, then they are making money off the fetuses. Whether or not they are making money could be a matter of their accounting. Planned Parenthood may be acting legally or legally, but the appearance is one of amorality. Fourth, Planned Parenthood is a major player in the Democratic coalition. Democratic legislators are in a conundrum. The videos are a modern sting operation by the “Center for Medical Progress,” a non-profit created for the purpose of the sting, reminiscent of the ACORN sting a half decade ago. The released videos are disgusting. The first is Dr. Deborah Nucatola,, Director of Medical Services for Planned Parenthood, nonchalantly telling how she kills the fetus to preserve the critical body parts while drinking wine and eating salad over lunch is repugnant. She’s so cavalier in describing the medical procedures. She said: “We’re being good at getting heart, lung, liver because we know that.” She explained that “I’m basically going to cut below, I’m going to cut above, and I’m going to see that I can get it all intact.” Then we have the second tape in which another Planned Parenthood official, Dr. Mary Gatter, President of Planned Parenthood’s Medical Director’s Council said “We’re not in it for the money,” which sounds good. However, she continued: “Still the payment has to be big enough that’s it worthwhile to me.” She said about $100/specimen is the norm. She also joked about a Lamborghini. The third tape has an employee describing her emotions as she retrieves the organs from the fetus. The fourth, and most recent video, features Dr. Savita Ginde, once medical director of Planned Parenthood in Denver. She explained that a fetus can emerge intact. She emphasized sales should be labeled as “research:” “I know putting it under the research gives us a little bit of, a little sort of a overhang over the whole thing.” Dr. Ginde added: “Yeah, and in public it makes a lot more sense for it to be in the research vein, than I’d say the business venture vein.” I believe a majority of Americans, especially women, believe I a woman’s tight to choose. I also believe though that the majority of Americans to not want to be exposed to the gory details of the procedures and the apparent sale of aborted body parts for money. They know the tapes are damaging. Yet, they also know better than to cross Planned Parenthood. They know the Susan B. Komen Foundation suffered a major backlash a few years ago when it announced it was pulling some funds from Planned Parenthood. They also know that the release of the first tape promised more to follow. Four are now out with at least eight to follow. Most have stayed quiet. They do not want to support Planned Parenthood without knowing while waiting for the next shoes to drop. They have to suck it up and vote against defunding Planned Parenthood, but they are not happy about it. They want to stand out of the way if Planned Parenthood goes the way of ACORN. Even worse for the Democrats. They will have to take a recorded vote in the House and Senate. Harry Reid is no longer the Senate Majority Leader who will block votes. The vote will be used against them in general elections. Even the loquacious President Obama on social issues was strangely silent for a long while on Planned Parenthood. He will veto, he has to veto, any defunding statute that comes to his desk. His Administration first referred to the Center for Medical Progress as “Extremists on the right.” If that’s the best talking point they can come up with, then they are desperate. Josh Earnest, the press secretary, then labeled the videos as “fraudulent,” without ever viewing them. When questioned, he admitted he was echoing or parroting (my terms) Planned Parenthood. In other words, he was speaking out of ignorance Planned Parenthood knows the videos are damaging. They know the videos are offensive and repulsive. The organization also knows that $528 million of last year’s $1.3 billion budget came from taxpayers. They are scrambling. They claim the videos are edited. They are, but the Center for Medical Progress posts the full, unedited videos on line. Viewers can decide for themselves if this is selective editing, cutting and pasting, or the accurate statements of Planned parenthood employees. One Democrat is sticking her neck out for Planned Parenthood. California’s Attorney General and Senate candidate Kamala Harris announced a week ago her office is investigating the Center for Medical Progress to determine if the organization violated the law as a non-profit. She is attempting to shoot the messenger. It won’t work. The message speaks for itself. Res ipsa loquiter as the legal phrase goes. Two organizations in the videos, but not Planned Parenthood, have obtained injunctions against future releases applicable to them. The attempt is to silence the messenger through the courts while Planned Parenthood attempts to silence them in the media. The state organizations warned the media that they will be at risk if they publish the Council for Medical Progress’s stories. So much for the First Amendment.