The group that has released Planned Parenthood videos allegedly showing the illegal sale of fetal tissue plans to release about a dozen total videos with the ultimate goal of seeing the group defunded.
David Daleiden, head of Center for Medical Progress, an anti-abortion nonprofit that so far has released four heavily edited videos — and other longer videos the group says were unedited — targeting Planned Parenthood, told CNN’s “New Day” that he wanted to expose the practices of the influential organization that receives $500 million in federal tax dollars.
“When people are using illegal abortion procedures, that’s something that most people find barbaric and that’s something that most people don’t want funded by their taxpayer dollars,” Daleiden said.
Planned Parenthood officials say they are not breaking any laws and denies all of Daleiden’s allegations. CNN reached out to Planned Parenthood on Friday for response.
Federal law already prevents Planned Parenthood from using the federal money it receives specifically for abortion. And while the group is the country’s largest provider of abortion services, Planned Parenthood said that 10% of its clients receive an abortion. The group also provides sexually transmitted disease and infection testing, breast exams and birth control.
More Videos to Come
Earlier this week, a California court issued a restraining order preventing the Center for Medical Progress from releasing a video with StemExpress executives.
StemExpress is a California-based company that provides organs and tissue to researchers. Planned Parenthood provides fetal tissue to the company.
“We’ve got anywhere from eight to 10 more videos — the exact number could vary, but I predict a dozen, give or take, when everything is said and done,” he said.
The group that has released Planned Parenthood videos allegedly showing the illegal sale of fetal tissue plans to release about a dozen total videos with the ultimate goal of seeing the group defunded.
Potential government shutdown
Several investigations into Planned Parenthood have been launched following the video, and Presidential candidate and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul introduced a bill this week calling for the group to be defunded.
The number of lawmakers threatening to shutdown the federal government unless Planned Parenthood is defunded is growing.
Eighteen lawmakers sent a letter Thursday calling for Planned Parenthood funding to be tied to spending legislation, vowing not to support any spending bill until the nonprofit no longer receives government funds.
“The recent reports that Planned Parenthood has sold the tissue of unborn babies for profit is deeply disturbing. This is simply unacceptable,” said Republican Rep. Mick Mulvaney of South Carolina in the letter. “I vehemently urge House Republican leadership to use every available tool to strip this organization of any and all taxpayer funds and take measures to prevent the group from receiving taxpayer dollars in the future. Furthermore, we will not support any funding measure that provides taxpayer dollars for this organization.”
Planned Parenthood officials said efforts to defund the group that serves 2.7 million women annually are not representative of the American public.
“Rand Paul, Mitch McConnell, Ted Cruz, and Joni Ernst should probably listen to the medical community before they decide to legislate health care for millions of people,” said Dawn Laguens, executive vice president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said Thursday after the fourth video’s release. “Family planning providers are uniquely qualified to provide reproductive health care, and providers have asserted that the “absorption” plan to simply hand off millions of women’s health care simply isn’t feasible.”
Planned Parenthood requests review
Planned Parenthood said Friday that it has has asked National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins to create an independent panel to review the techniques, risks and benefits of fetal tissue research in an effort to demonstrate through “science-based examination” the justifications for fetal research.
An NIH spokeswoman told CNN that Collins “has received the letter and is reviewing it.”
The request was revealed in a message sent to Planned Parenthood supporters.