Tag Archives: Planned Parenthood

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Creators Of Planned Parenthood Sting Videos Hit With Felony Indictment

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By Blake Neff – The top figures behind the Center for Medical Progress (CMP) videos that purported to show Planned Parenthood officials selling fetal tissue have been indicted by a Texas grand jury.

The Houston grand jury, ironically, originally convened to investigate Planned Parenthood. Instead, it found no wrongdoing on Planned Parenthood’s part but found evidence of lawbreaking by CMP’s David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt Monday. Both of them face felony charges of tampering with a government record, while Daleiden faces an additional misdemeanor charge related to illegally purchasing a human organ.

It’s not clear what government records Merritt and Daleiden supposedly tampered with, or what the circumstances are of Daleiden’s alleged organ purchase.

Last summer, CMP caused a national media firestorm when it released a series of undercover videos of Planned Parenthood officials. Daleiden and Merritt posed as representatives of a biotechnology company interested in buying fetal tissue from abortion clinics for the purpose of medical research. Their interactions with Planned Parenthood officials, they claimed, were proof that the organization illegally sells fetal tissue for profit, rather than simply giving it away while receiving a cost reimbursement, as required by federal law.

Planned Parenthood has remained defiant, arguing CMP’s videos were heavily edited and provide no evidence of illegal behavior. Thus far, it has been vindicated in the latter regard as several state investigations have ended without finding any evidence of lawbreaking.

But the organization hasn’t emerged unscathed, as several states have cut off funding for Planned Parenthood in response to the videos. Congressional Republicans have also made repeated efforts to defund Planned Parenthood at the federal level.

“This is absolutely great news because it is a demonstration of what Planned Parenthood has said from the very beginning, we follow every law and regulation and these anti-abortion activists broke multiple laws to try and spread lies,” Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast spokeswoman Rochelle Tafolla said in a statement.

Planned Parenthood sued the Center for Medical Progress Jan. 14 in federal court, claiming to be the victims of an extensive defamation campaign.

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Featured, Health, Politics, US

Obama Vetoes Bill To Repeal Obamacare Provisions, Defund Planned Parenthood

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President Obama vetoed a bill that would have repealed key provisions in the Affordable Care Act and defunded Planned Parenthood for one year on Friday.

The bill was sent to the president’s desk on Wednesday after it was passed by the House of Representatives, 240 to 181. Prior to the House’s vote, the bill was passed in the Senate on Dec. 3, 2015.

[RELATED: Senate Passes Bill Repealing Obamacare Provisions, Defunding Planned Parenthood] 

The vote in the House was largely along party lines, with Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) being the only Democrat to vote for the bill, and Reps. Bob Dold (R-Ill.), Richard Hanna (R-N.Y.) and John Katko (R-N.Y.) the only Republicans to vote against it.

In response, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said that although Congress passed the bill, it ultimately will have no effect on Obamacare.

“They’ve voted 60 times to repeal the Affordable Care Act. This is the first time that it has reached the president’s desk, but it has no impact,” Earnest said during a press conference Thursday.

HR 3762, the Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015, sought to repeal Obamacare provisions including the requirement for most people to obtain healthcare coverage, the expansion of Medicaid, and the taxes imposed on income, insurance policies and medical devices that were required to fund Obamacare.

The bill would have also put an end to the nearly $450 million given to Planned Parenthood for at least one year. While the Senate did vote on over a dozen amendments to the bill, they rejected two amendments that would have given money to Planned Parenthood.

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) noted the significance of such a bill reaching the President’s desk after five years of being struck down by Democrats. While he did not say what the Republicans would replace it with, he claimed that a Republican president in 2017 would seek out “a truly patient-centered healthcare system.”

“This budget reconciliation bill, which would reduce the federal deficit by a half trillion dollars, forces the president to confront the failures of Obamacare head on,” Ryan said. “But most importantly, it clears the path to repealing this law with a Republican president in 2017 and replacing it with a truly patient-centered health care system. We will not back down from this fight to defend the sanctity of life and make quality health care coverage achievable for all Americans.”

Activism, Civil Liberties, Election, Government Accountability, Politics, US

Evangelist Franklin Graham Leaves GOP Due To Planned Parenthood Funding

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The Republican Party has been abandoned by Evangelist Franklin Graham following last week’s passage of a budget by the Republican-led Congress. Graham called the budget “wasteful” and criticized continued government funding of Planned Parenthood, which he compared to the Nazis.

“Seeing and hearing Planned Parenthood talk nonchalantly about selling baby parts from aborted fetuses with utter disregard for human life is reminiscent of Joseph Mengele and the Nazi concentration camps!” Graham wrote. “That should’ve been all that was needed to turn off the faucet for their funding.”

In previous statements Graham has spoken of not having faith in any of the parties. Rejecting his affiliation with the GOP is a sign of continued discontent with the right and the continuation of a trend among evangelicals supporting non-establishment candidates such as Donald Trump.

Trump has drawn praise from Graham in the past including siding with the GOP frontrunner on issues such as a proposed ban of Muslims in the U.S.

Graham’s criticism of the budget deal centers around the continued funding of Planned Parenthood to the tune of $528 million annually. This accounts for upwards of 40% of the organizations budget and comes mostly by way of Medicaid payments from services rendered to low-income Americans. Planned Parenthood is prohibited from utilizing federal taxpayer dollars to pay for abortions.

The defunding of Planned Parenthood has been a long time priority for social conservatives, an effort that was renewed earlier this year after undercover videos were released by an anti-abortion activist.

The videos appeared to show officials at Planned Parenthood negotiating prices of fetal organs for sale to medical researchers, a practice which could be considered illegal and unethical. The organization has since denied all claims it profited from these sales and announced it would no longer carry on the practice.

Following the 2014 midterm elections, the GOP took control of both the House and Senate. Expectations from some in the party were that funding for Planned Parenthood would be eliminated from the 2016 budget. Some social conservatives in the party threatened a government shutdown if action wasn’t taken against the organization.

An event in November when Robert Lewis Dear, a lone gunman who called himself “a warrior for the babies” and shot and killed three at a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood, changed the dynamic for politicians.

The result was funding of Planned Parenthood at previous levels. Graham, the son of well known evangelist Billy Graham, was among many religious conservatives incensed by the lack of action.

“This is an example of why I have resigned from the Republican Party and declared myself Independent. I have no hope in the Republican Party, the Democratic Party, or Tea Party to do what is best for America,” said in a Facebook Post last Monday.

Over the course of Billy Graham’s years in the public eye, he withdrew from politics, claiming it took focus away from his evangelism. His son, however, has been more vocal in offering his take on electoral issues and politicians.

With prayer rallies scheduled in advance of the the Iowa caucus, Graham will likely continue his denunciation of the establishment wing of the Republican Party, emphasizing his desire to “challenge Christians to live out their faith at home, in public and at the ballot box.”

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Government Accountability, Politics, US

Rush Limbaugh Says ‘Disband the Republican Party’ for Passing Omnibus Bill

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After the Republican-led Congress passed a $1.1 trillion omnibus budget bill, which was subsequently signed into law by President Obama, conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh said on The Rush Limbaugh Show last week, “The country was just sold down the river again by your very Republican Party.”

Limbaugh cited the bill’s funding of Planned Parenthood, its funding of what he called Obama’s immigration, refugee resettlement, and climate change agendas, and its delayed enforcement of “the punitive” aspects of the Affordable Care Act to allegedly “prevent people from learning what they are” as examples of the Republican Party’s “repeated stabs in the [backs]” of conservative activists.

“There is no Republican Party! You know, we don’t even need a Republican Party if they’re gonna do this. You know, just elect Democrats, disband the Republican Party, and let the Democrats run it, because that’s what’s happening anyway,” he said.

[RELATED: Reps. Amash, Massie Blast Congressional Spending Bill for ‘Unconstitutional’ Surveillance Measures]

Limbaugh complained that the Republicans who overwhelmingly won congressional elections in 2010 and 2014 on promises to cut spending instead became obsessed with avoiding disagreements with establishment Democrats that could result in a government shutdown, making it impossible for Republicans to use Congress’ power of the purse as leverage in negotiations.

“Everything Obama wanted, everything he asked for [in the budget], he got. You go down the list of things, it’s there,” complained Limbaugh.

[RELATED: Limbaugh on Trump: ‘A Genuine Conservative Would Not Go after Cruz This Way’]

He added, “And this is causing some people to wonder if they just dreamed all that stuff about Boehner resigning. And then other people are wondering if they even dreamed all that stuff about the Republicans winning the largest number of seats they’ve had in Congress since the Civil War. We had two midterm elections in 2010 and 2014, which were landslide victories for the Republican Party. The Democrat Party lost over a thousand seats nationwide in just those two elections. People went to the polls in droves wanting exactly what was rubber-stamped [in the bill] [to be] stopped.“

Featured, Government Accountability, Politics

Senate Passes Bill Repealing Obamacare Provisions, Defunding Planned Parenthood

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The United States Senate passed a budget bill on Thursday that aims to repeal several key provisions of the Affordable Care Act and seeks to halt funding to Planned Parenthood.

HR 3762, the “Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015,” would overhaul Obamacare provisions such as the requirement for most people to obtain healthcare coverage, the expansion of Medicaid, and the taxes imposed on income, insurance policies and medical devices that were required to fund Obamacare.

The bill would also put an end to the nearly $450 million given to Planned Parenthood annually. While the Senate did vote on over a dozen amendments to the bill, they rejected two amendments that would have given money to Planned Parenthood.

[RELATED: Federal Court: Obamacare Contraceptive Mandate Violated Religious Freedom]

The Senate also blocked proposals for increased gun control that were pushed after a mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, on Wednesday.

Although President Obama has promised to veto the bill, it marks the first time legislation of its kind could make it to the president’s desk without being prevented by Democrats in Congress.

Needing 51 votes to pass, the bill passed in the Senate 52-47, and will go on to the House of Representatives where it is expected to pass, as a similar bill was passed on Oct. 23.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said the bill presents Obama with a choice that could lead to “better care” for Americans with his consent.

“President Obama will have a choice,” McConnell said. “He can defend a status quo that’s failed the middle class by vetoing the bill, or he can work toward a new beginning and better care by signing it.”

Healthcare spending topped $3.03 trillion in 2014, up 5.3 percent from 2013, which marked the highest growth since 2007.

In terms of GOP presidential candidates, the bill received the approval of Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Tx.), Marco Rubio (R-Fl.) Rand Paul (R-Ky.). Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) did not vote.

Featured, US

Gunman Opens Fire Near Planned Parenthood Clinic In Colorado Springs

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By Chuck Ross – Police in Colorado Springs were engaged in a standoff at a Planned Parenthood clinic Friday afternoon with a lone gunman who opened fire near the facility shortly before noon.

At least four police officers and four civilians were injured when the suspect opened fire. Several people inside the Planned Parenthood office were seen rushing from the building after being extracted. Officers were also heard on police radio discussing tactical maneuvers in order to take the suspect out with sniper fire.

It is still unclear whether the gunman, described as a man with a beard and glasses who is wearing a trenchcoat, targeted Planned Parenthood. Some witnesses reported hearing shots fired earlier in the day near a Chase Bank located about a quarter-mile away from Planned Parenthood. Others said that shots were fired from outside.

The original report of this fluid situation is below. 

Police in Colorado Springs have surrounded a supermarket parking lot after an active shooter reportedly opened fire near a Planned Parenthood clinic shortly before noon local time on Friday.

Three officers were injured in the shooting, and civilian injuries are possible, Colorado Springs police commander Kirk Wilson said in a press briefing.

Wilson also said that at least one of the injured officers is still within the area where the gunman is located. Wilson initially stated that the gunman’s location was known, but authorities later backed away from that claim.

And while Wilson gave some indication that Planned Parenthood was the shooter’s target, another Colorado Springs police official, Lt. Catherine Buckley, said at a press conference held about an hour later that authorities are “not sure what the connection is to Planned Parenthood.

Buckley did confirm, however, that the initial police call came from the Planned Parenthood address.

Adding to the confusion over whether Planned Parenthood was targeted are reports that injuries were also reported at a nearby eye doctor’s office.

According to the Colorado Springs Gazette, a patient at Elite Vision was wounded. Elite Vision is located in a building next to Planned Parenthood, which provides reproductive health services and also performs abortions.

And according to The New York Times, local media reported that the gunman was seen shooting at passing vehicles from the parking lot of the office park where Planned Parenthood and numerous other businesses are located.

In other police radio chatter, an officer said that the suspected gunman shot out the back window of his police cruiser. The suspect was described as wearing a long coat and “hunting-type” hat, according to the Gazette.

Police officers with heavy weaponry and SWAT members were seen staking out the grocery store parking lot.

 

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This article was republished with permission from The Daily Caller.

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Anderson Cooper Calls Out CNN Reporter On Planned Parenthood Videos

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At the conclusion of a 10-minute CNN segment on the results of an investigation into the veracity of the undercover Planned Parenthood videos, anchor Anderson Cooper was still unclear on the facts.

“They keep saying the videos were heavily edited. Were they, and were they deceptively edited?” Cooper asks CNN senior investigative correspondent Drew Griffin on “Anderson Cooper 360” Tuesday. “I mean, besides the insertion of pictures, which were not necessarily from Planned Parenthood?”

Cooper is referring to Planned Parenthood’s allegation that the videos released by The Center for Medical Progress (CMP) are “highly edited,” which has been picked up and repeated by mainstream media outlets. CNN put Griffin on the story to “try to find out which side is telling the truth,” a narrator explains at the start of the highly edited segment. (RELATED: How The New York Times Is Covering The Planned Parenthood Videos)

In response to Cooper’s question at the conclusion of the segment, Griffin admits “the only thing we found” is that CMP inserted images of fetuses meant to illustrate the testimony of a former Planned Parenthood employee in a manner that could be confusing.

But he allows Planned Parenthood’s allegation the videos are “highly edited” to stand, disregarding relevant facts and critical analysis to suggest the matter is still up for debate. (RELATED: Key Points From The First Nine Planned Parenthood Videos)

The bulk of the heavily edited CNN segment consists of Griffin grilling CMP founder David Daleiden about the source of the disputed images. Daleiden acknowledges CMP got the images from a video posted by a woman to memorialize her stillborn son and from an online abortion photo archive, but he points out the fetuses shown are the same gestational age as those described in the video.

Griffin also presses Planned Parenthood Executive Vice President Dawn Laguens on whether clinics haggle over the compensation for aborted fetuses — as seen in the videos — and on the nature of the payments. He shows her a specific clip of haggling over the payment, and points out the clip is not edited when she tries to dismiss his question.

“All of the tapes and footage David Daleiden has released out into the world has been heavily edited,” Laguens told CNN. “And I think pretty thoroughly discredited.”

Griffin does not ask her to explain what “highly edited” means or attempt himself to define the term she says “thoroughly discredits” the videos. He also ignores Daleiden’s legitimate point that the source of the images in dispute is to some extent irrelevant.

Griffin concludes that it’s Planned Parenthood’s word versus CMP’s word, so it’s up to members of Congress able to access all of the footage to “decide for themselves” whether it’s highly edited.

CNN’s segment never mentions the fact that a firm commissioned by Planned Parenthood to perform a forensic analysis of the videos found they are not “substantively edited.” A separate firm commissioned by a pro-life group also performed a forensic analysis of the videos and also concluded they are not substantively edited.

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Politics, US

Planned Parenthood Ends Acceptance of Reimbursements for Fetal Tissue

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Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) President Cecile Richards wrote a letter to National Institutes of Health stating that the organization will cease accepting payments for tissue donations.

Richards maintained in the letter that despite the new decision, PPFA has continually operated within federal law regarding its procurement of reimbursements for fetal tissue donations.

Richards wrote that she was following up on a July 29 letter she’d written that had “outlined the very limited role that Planned Parenthood plays in fetal tissue research that can contribute to important medical breakthroughs.”

“Our role in fetal tissue research is an extremely small part of what we do,” Richards wrote. “In fact, just 1% of our health centers currently facilitate tissue donation for fetal tissue research.”

Richards went on to rebuke opponents who have made “false claims” about PPFA in an effort to advance legislation that would “deny women access to basic health care and to impose medically unnecessary restrictions on safe and legal abortion.”

[pull_quote_center]In order to completely debunk the disingenuous argument that our opponents have been using – and to reveal the true political purpose of these attacks – our Federation has decided, going forward, that any Planned Parenthood health center that is involved in donating tissue after an abortion for medical research will follow the model already in place at one of our two affiliates currently facilitating donations for fetal tissue research. That affiliate accepts no reimbursement for its reasonable expenses – even though reimbursement is fully permitted under the 1993 law. Going forward, all of our health centers will follow the same policy, even if it means they will not recover reimbursements permitted by the 1993 law.[/pull_quote_center]

PPFA fell under scrutiny earlier this year after several edited undercover videos were released by the Center for Medical Progress claiming that monetary negotiations were being made by PPFA, in violation of federal law, for various samples of aborted fetal tissue. The first video was widely debated as Senior Director of Medical Services Dr. Deborah Nucatola was seen and heard discussing graphic details regarding fetal tissue while eating lunch and sipping wine: “We’ve been very good at getting heart, lung, liver, because we know that, so I’m not gonna crush that part, I’m gonna basically crush below, I’m gonna crush above, and I’m gonna see if I can get it all intact,” said Nucatola.

Several pro-life groups described Nucatola’s comments in the video as evidence that Planned Parenthood was making a profit on aborted fetuses, a claim that was quickly and strongly denied by PPFA. Richards acknowledged that Nucatola’s behavior in the video lacked “compassion” and apologized for “the staff member’s tone and statements.”

Regarding the second video that was released by the Center for Medical Progress, Truth In Media’s Barry Donegan wrote that PPFA Medical Directors’ Council president Dr. Mary Gatter was seen on video refusing to “quote the costs of fetal tissue specimens from abortions but instead asks actors posing as buyers at a business lunch to throw out an offer.”

PPFA stated in response to the second video that “a well funded group established for the purpose of damaging Planned Parenthood’s mission and services has promoted a heavily edited, secretly recorded videotape that falsely portrays Planned Parenthood’s participation in tissue donation programs that support lifesaving scientific research.”

 

Election, Politics

Cruz, Rubio Vote to Increase Debt By $400 Billion; Paul, Sanders Vote No

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WASHINGTON, September 29, 2015– On Friday, the United States Senate failed to pass a short-term continuing resolution, which increased the federal deficit by $400 billion.

Of the four Republican Senators running for president, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) was the only one to vote against it. Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX), Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) all voted in favor of the continuing resolution moving forward by ending cloture. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who is running for President on the Democratic ticket as a socialist, also voted against the continuing resolution.

Paul says that although the bill defunded Planned Parenthood, he couldn’t vote for it due to the spending that was attached.

“Since coming to Washington, I have voted against every spending bill that continues to add to our nation’s mountain of debt. Spending at the levels in this bill will add $400 billion more new debt this year. Time and time again, the President and Congress fail to do one of their most basic jobs, which is to review and adjust federal spending and fund the government. While I support all efforts to stop federal funding of Planned Parenthood, this bill is a clear representation of business as usual in Washington – too much spending and too much debt. The American people deserve better,” Paul said in a statement released after the vote.

[RELATED: Petition: A Joint Town Hall with Rand Paul and Bernie Sanders]

Paul’s foes were quick to paint him as a Planned Parenthood supporter for voting against the massive spending bill. However, Paul has made several attempts to defund Planned Parenthood. In fact, he even attempted to fast-track the legislation in July.

For more election coverage, click here.

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Featured, Politics

BREAKING: House Speaker John Boehner Stepping Down From Congress

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WASHINGTON, September 25, 2015– Just two days ago, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives John Boehner (R-Ohio) was making headlines– conservatives were planning a coup to throw him off of the Speaker’s perch. Today, Boehner has announced that he will be stepping down from Congress next month.

On Wednesday, The Hill reported that conservatives were planning a coup to throw off Speaker Boehner due to Planned Parenthood funding.

“…lawmakers are wondering more than ever if Boehner’s days as Speaker are numbered,” reported The Hill.

Talk of the overthrow sent Washington into a frenzy.

“That’s what tells you there’s something afoot. You know there’s some drops of blood in the water, because all the sharks are starting to circle,” noted one conservative lawmaker who supports Boehner’s exit, according to The Hill.

Boehner allies had dismissed the chatter.

“The Speaker isn’t going anywhere,” Boehner’s spokeswoman, Emily Schillinger, said last week. “He’s focused on the American people’s priorities and how we can accomplish them.”

Fast-forward to today, Boehner sent a shock wave through Capitol Hill early this morning when it was announced that he would be stepping down from the Speakership and resigning from Congress at the end of October.

Two Republican lawmakers are likely to rise in an attempt to replace Boehner. House Majority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Cali.), the establishment pick, and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), the conservative pick.

While McCarthy is not necessarily well-liked among conservative House members, he has attempted to make inroads with them since replacing former House Majority Leader Rep. Eric Cantor who was defeated by conservative challenger Dave Bratt in an upset that shook Capitol Hill to its core.

On the other hand, Jordan is the conservative pick, but is still somewhat well-liked among the establishment. Jordan was leading the charge to defund Planned Parenthood, and was willing to climb over Boehner to do so.

John Andrew Boehner was first elected to Congress in 1990.

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Election, Featured, Health, Opinion, Politics, US

Fact Check: Ben Carson Slams Media On Fetal Tissue Study He Participated In

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August 14, 2015– In the wake of multiple investigative videos surfacing appearing to show Planned Parenthood selling aborted fetus tissue for profit, Republican Presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson has been a vocal critic of Planned Parenthood and the practice of using fetal tissue for medical research. However, critics have uncovered a study that researched fetal tissue, which Carson participated in, leading to claims that Carson’s participation contradicts his vocal opposition.

Last month, in an interview with Fox News’ Megyn Kelly, Carson said that the benefits of fetal tissue research were over-promised and under-delivered. Carson also said that there was nothing that couldn’t be done without using fetal tissue. However, Carson would not completely condemn and call for an end to the use of fetal tissue research.

“Yes, Dr. Ben Carson has done research on fetal tissue and published his findings,” wrote Dr. Jen Gunter, who originally challenged Carson in a blog post. The media took the story and ran the narrative that Carson had studied fetal tissue from aborted fetuses. “Ben Carson Once Did Research On 17-Week Aborted Fetal Tissue,” reads a headline from Huffington Post.

Carson took to Facebook to explain the true circumstances surrounding the study and trade jabs at the media. Carson says that the aborted fetal tissue was from a microscope slide that a separate pathology lab used to compare with the tumors he had removed from his own patients. “Today I was accused by the press as having done research on fetal tissue. It simply is not true… My only involvement in this study was supplying tumors that I had removed from my patients,” declared Carson. “The fetal tissue that was viewed in this study by others was not collected for this study.”

After clarifying his involvement in the study, Carson went on to hit his critics and reassure his supporters.

“I am sickened by the attack that I, after having spent my entire life caring for children, had something to do with aborting a child and harvesting organs. My medical specialty is the human brain and even I am amazed at what it is capable of doing,” wrote Carson. “Please know these attacks are pathetic attempts to blunt our progress.”

In only a few short hours, the post generated almost 150,000 likes and 40,000 shares, making it one of his most successful social media posts of the campaign.

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Featured, States Rights

New Hampshire Executive Council Votes To Defund Planned Parenthood

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New Hampshire Executive Councilors Chris Sununu, David Wheeler and Joe Kenney voted to end the state’s contract with Planned Parenthood, essentially ending the state’s funding of the Planned Parenthood of Northern New England facilities.

In a statement, New Hampshire Republican State Committee Chairman Jennifer Horn said:

“The appalling videos showing Planned Parenthood executives discussing the sale of human body parts have raised serious and legitimate concerns. Instead of calling for an investigation of Planned Parenthood’s potentially criminal activity, Governor Hassan has turned a blind eye to this controversy and tried to give more taxpayer dollars to this scandal-plagued organization.

“This isn’t a matter of being pro-choice or pro-life. It’s about ensuring that public dollars are not being given to a company that may be engaged in criminal activity. We applaud Councilors Sununu, Wheeler and Kenney for standing up for taxpayers by refusing to fund Planned Parenthood and calling for an official investigation of its practices. It’s time for Governor Hassan to put politics aside and work with the Commissioner of Health and Human Services and the Executive Council to identify alternative health care providers to cover the services that were included in this contract.”

Gov. Maggie Hassan issued her own statement in response to the vote:

“Planned Parenthood provides critical primary and preventive health care services to thousands of New Hampshire women, including cancer screenings, birth control and STD testing. Access to these services is essential to the economic security and vitality of our families, and I am incredibly disappointed in the outcome of today’s vote.

“Two years ago, we came together across party lines to restore funding for Planned Parenthood and support the critical health care services that their health centers provide to women, men and families across the state. It is clear that today’s vote is the result of an ideological and political attack against Planned Parenthood and a woman’s right to make her own healthcare decisions, as there have been no allegations or evidence that Planned Parenthood of Northern New England has done anything but follow New Hampshire law and help thousands of women and families access health care.

“The council’s vote to defund Planned Parenthood will hurt the health and economic well-being of thousands of Granite Staters. Moving forward, I will continue to fight to ensure that women and families have access to the important health services that are essential to the economic security and vitality of our families.”

[RELATED: Second Planned Parenthood Exec Caught on Film Apparently Negotiating Fetal Tissue Prices]

The vote from the executive council follows the controversial publication of several undercover videos containing footage of discussions regarding the procurement of aborted fetal tissue and methods of obtaining such tissue. Hassan had previously rejected a request from one of the executive councilors calling for a review of Planned Parenthood operations in New Hampshire.

Editor’s Pick, Featured, Technology, US

Planned Parenthood Hacked?

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An incognito group of anti-abortion activists claimed to have hacked the website of Planned Parenthood late Sunday, according to a report from the online publication The Daily Dot.

The group, identifying themselves as “3301”, told The Daily Dot that it gained access to Planned Parenthood’s website databases as well as names and email addresses of its employees.

The alleged hackers hinted at the recently reported controversy that has surrounded Planned Parenthood in light of two secretly recorded videos featuring Planned Parenthood executives discussing various prices of fetal tissue specimens.

“We’ve noticed quite a lot of attention has been diverted to a supposedly malicious organization known as Planned Parenthood,” 3301’s website reportedly stated. “The actions of this ‘federation’ are not seen as right in the eyes of the public. So here we are, the social justice warriors, seeking to reclaim some sort of lulz for the years and thousands of dollars that Planned Parenthood have wasted and made harvesting your babies.”

[RELATED: Second Planned Parenthood Exec Caught on Film Apparently Negotiating Fetal Tissue Prices]

“Trying to mold an atrocious monstrosity into socially acceptable behaviors is repulsive,” a hacker identified only as “E” told The Daily Dot. “Obviously what [Planned Parenthood] does is a very ominous practice. It’ll be interesting to see what surfaces when [Planned Parenthood] is stripped naked and exposed to the public.”

The group reportedly pledged to release internal Planned Parenthood emails “soon.”

The cyberattack has not been confirmed by Planned Parenthood, and it appears that the organization has not yet identified any security breach. “We think we have really good security, especially on flagging suspicious behavior,” Planned Parenthood Chief Information Officer Tom Subak told The Daily Dot. “We have not [received any flags].”

Dawn Laguens, executive vice president of Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement Monday that the claims are being investigated. “We take security very seriously and are investigating. It’s unsurprising that those opposed to safe and legal abortion are participating in this campaign of harassment against us and our patients, and claiming to stoop to this new low,” Laguens said.

Editor’s Pick, Featured, Politics, Videos

Second Planned Parenthood Exec Caught on Film Apparently Negotiating Fetal Tissue Prices

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Just one week after Planned Parenthood Federation of America president Cecile Richards offered an apology for the “tone” of a video, released by the Center for Medical Progress last week, which appeared to show Planned Parenthood senior director of medical services Dr. Deborah Nucatola haggling over prices of aborted fetal tissue during a business lunch, another Center for Medical Progress video emerged on Tuesday, this time apparently showing PPFA Medical Directors’ Council president Dr. Mary Gatter attempting to maximize revenues by seeking higher prices for aborted fetal tissue specimens.

In Tuesday’s video, which can be seen in an edited format above, Dr. Gatter refuses to quote the costs of fetal tissue specimens from abortions but instead asks actors posing as buyers at a business lunch to throw out an offer. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Kyle Wingfield uncovered a full-length version of the undercover video, which can be seen below.

During the negotiations, Dr. Gatter made a statement that seemed to imply that prior fetal tissue specimen transfers did not significantly increase Planned Parenthood’s costs. “It was logistically very easy for us, we didn’t have to do anything. So there was compensation for this,” she said.

“I wouldn’t object to asking Ian, who’s our surgeon who does the cases, to use an IPAS [manual vacuum aspirator] at that gestational age in order to increase the odds that he’s going to get an intact specimen,” said Dr. Gatter, suggesting that she might encourage a surgeon to modify an abortion procedure out of an interest in obtaining revenues from fetal tissue specimens. She also offered to employ a “less crunchy technique” that would cause less damage to viable organ specimens.

“Let me just figure out what others are getting, and if this ($100 per specimen) is in the ballpark, then it’s fine; if it’s still low, then we can bump it up,” Dr. Gatter stated, seemingly seeking a market price. She then joked, “I want a Lamborghini!”

Selling aborted fetal tissue specimens for a profit is a violation of federal law.

A Planned Parenthood statement on the new video read, “At several of our health centers, we help patients who want to donate tissue for scientific research, and we do this just like every other high-quality health care provider does — with full, appropriate consent from patients and under the highest ethical and legal standards. There is no financial benefit for tissue donation for either the patient or for Planned Parenthood. In some instances, actual costs, such as the cost to transport tissue to leading research centers, are reimbursed, which is standard across the medical field.”

“A well funded group established for the purpose of damaging Planned Parenthood’s mission and services has promoted a heavily edited, secretly recorded videotape that falsely portrays Planned Parenthood’s participation in tissue donation programs that support lifesaving scientific research. Similar false accusations have been put forth by opponents of abortion services for decades. These groups have been widely discredited and their claims fall apart on closer examination, just as they do in this case,” Planned Parenthood’s statement continued.

Center for Medical Progress project lead David Daleiden told Fox News that the shorter edited video was just provided as a summary and that viewers can choose for themselves whether it was inappropriately edited after watching the full-length video. “Anybody can go and, if they want to watch an hour to three hours of baby parts negotiations, they can judge for themselves if we just chose the highlights,” he said. Daleiden indicated that the Center for Medical Progress has “at least 12, really solid videos” with similar footage and plans to release more of them.