Planned Parenthood warns media not to break privacy laws, claiming tissue procurement is 'medically necessary' to prevent infection
FARGO, N.D. (Christian Examiner) – In a letter sent to news media Planned Parenthood warned reporters Monday that recent videos exposing the abortion provider for discussing the potential sale of aborted fetus parts might contain "wildly false stories" and could have been obtained in "violations of state recording laws."
The striking letter, published by KVLY-TV in North Dakota, was sent from a regional branch of Planned Parenthood in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, and spoke of The Center for Medical Progress – the organization that released the videos – as one "whose sole mission is to prevent women from accessing health care and to destroy Planned Parenthood."
The letter claims CMP used footage that represents "an extreme violation of patient privacy by including footage of post-abortion fetal tissue" that has not been released with anyone's authorization – and that it would be a violation of the patients involved by "having this footage shared by the media."
"Some of the conversations and protocols that occur in medical settings and among professional peers can sound jarring when taken out of context," the letter reads. "While this can be difficult to hear or watch, it should not be used as an excuse to defund Planned Parenthood."
Confusingly, the letter claims: "The storage and examination processes that CMP used to get this footage are medically necessary. It is necessary medical professionals ensure an abortion is complete so that patients do not get an infection."
Planned Parenthood asserts in the letter that "CMP gained access to Planned Parenthood facilities under false pretenses" and did not have permission to film the videos.
"The material should not be aired," the letter warns.
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