Planned Parenthood has recently been targeted by far-right anti-abortion extremists in a smear campaign and now they are planning to fight back. An organization called the “Center for Medical Progress” has set up a dummy biomedical company in an attempt to “buy” tissues from fetuses and secretly recorded meetings with Planned Parenthood staff, then edited the video footage to misrepresent the actual discussions that took place. Despite their name, the Center for Medical Progress does not actually employ any medical professionals.
Dawn Laguens, Executive Vice President of Planned Parenthood, has stated in media interviews that the CMP has violated laws during the recording of the videos and has committed fraud by editing them to show bits of conversations taken out of context.
In thirteen states so far, public funds have been wasted on investigations into the practices of Planned Parenthood. In no case has any evidence of wrongdoing or unlawful activity been uncovered. Fetal tissue that comes from aborted fetuses is used in highly important medical research.
This includes attempts to find cures for serious diseases such as cancer and HIV/AIDS. Even though right wing groups are repeatedly attacking Planned Parenthood, the non-profit organization is vying to continue in its mission to provide quality healthcare services to Americans. Recent polls show that a higher number of Americans approve of Planned Parenthood than any Republican presidential candidate.