Court Bars Release of Planned Parenthood Videos, Center for Medical Progress Fires Back with Statement Insisting it Will Forge Ahead
[Updated 6:28 a.m. ET] There are new developments in the ongoing Planned Parenthood video scandal saga. Fox News reports that a temporary restraining order has been issued preventing an anti-abortion group from releasing any video of leaders of a California company that provides fetal tissue to researchers.
The group, the Center for Medical Progress (CMP), is the same one who did the previous sting videos of Planned Parenthood leaders casually discussing the sale of aborted baby parts.
At least one video CMP is reportedly about to release focuses on a Planned Parenthood business partner in the fetal body parts industry, StemExpress. According to Fox News, “The Los Angeles Superior Court order issued Tuesday prohibits the Center for Medical Progress from releasing any video of three high-ranking StemExpress officials taken at a restaurant in May.”
The Center for Medical Progress has responded to the restraining order with this statement:
StemExpress, a for-profit company partnered with over 30 abortion clinics, including Planned Parenthood, to harvest and sell aborted baby parts and provide a “financial benefit” to Planned Parenthood clinics, is attempting to use meritless litigation to cover-up this illegal baby parts trade, suppress free speech, and silence the citizen press reporting on issues of burning concern to the American public. They are not succeeding — their initial petition was rejected by the court, and their second petition was eviscerated to a narrow and contingent order about an alleged recording pending CMP’s opportunity to respond. The Center for Medical Progress follows all applicable laws in the course of our investigative journalism work and will contest all attempts from Planned Parenthood and their allies to silence our First Amendment rights and suppress investigative journalism.
The Senate is expected to vote Monday on stripping Planned Parenthood of taxpayer funding.