Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit against the Center for Medical Progress in the Federal District Court in San Francisco on Thursday, January 14, for the group's undercover video footage of certain Planned Parenthood clinics.
The lawsuit alleges conspiracy, fraud, and other violations made against Planned Parenthood through the released videos. The filed lawsuit claims that the defendants fabricated a tissue procurement company in order to access private medical conferences and procured false identities in order to attend private meetings, which were then also illegally recorded.
The series of undercover videos were released by CMP, an anti-abortion group, in July 2015, showing representatives of Planned Parenthood apparently discussing the selling of aborted fetuses. The selling body parts, including fetal ones, is illegal under federal law.
The release of the videos have since provoked widespread controversy about the actions of Planned Parenthood clinics. Governors of various states have called for investigations into Planned Parenthood's activities, and Republican lawmakers have continuously pushed for a bill that would defund the organization.
Planned Parenthood claimed that the videos were edited in a misleading manner, and stated that the organization is not illegally selling body parts, but legally transferring fetus tissue, with the consent of the women involved, for medical research.
Kathy Kneer, the chief executive of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, told reporters in a conference call that the lawsuit is meant to "hold accountable the people behind this reckless and malicious smear campaign that was designed to spread lies about Planned Parenthood."
David Daleiden, a founder of the Center for Medical Progress, referred to the lawsuit in a written statement as a "frivolous lawsuit in retaliation for CMP's First Amendment investigative journalism" and a "last-ditch move of desperation" which will expose all the "corrupt abortions and baby body part profiteers." Daleiden states that the videos are from a citizen journalism group that is practicing their freedom of speech protected by the First Amendment.
The Center for Medical Progress is also facing two other civil lawsuits, one from StemExpress, a tissue procurement company, and another from the National Abortion Federation.
