Planned Parenthood Files Lawsuit Against Group Involved In Smear Videos

MSNBC: Planned Parenthood Sues Anti-Abortion Group Behind Deceptively-Edited Videos. On January 14, Planned Parenthood announced it filed suit in California against the anti-choice group CMP's officers, advisors and financial-backers, alleging the group “broke federal and state laws, including the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, known as RICO, as well as invasion of privacy and recording laws” in the creation of its deceptively-edited videos which smeared the organization with the false allegation of illegally profiting from the sale of fetal tissue. [MSNBC, 1/14/16]

CNN Restated False Allegations Against Planned Parenthood Without Reporting They Are False

CNN Describes Videos As “Showing [Planned Parenthood] Officials Discussing The Sale Of Fetal Tissue.” During the January 15 edition of CNN's Early Start with John Berman and Christine Romans, guest anchor Alison Kosik repeated the false allegation that Planned Parenthood officials were discussing the sale of fetal tissue on the videos, as opposed to donation reimbursement costs, rather than explaining this was an accusation perpetuated by CMP. From CNN's Early Start with John Berman and Christine Romans (emphasis added):

ALISON KOSIK: Planned Parenthood filing suit against the Center for Medical Progress, the anti-abortion activists who produced heavily edited [undercover] videos showing officials discussing the sale of fetal tissue. The videos led Republican lawmakers to try unsuccessfully to strip Planned Parenthood of its federal funding. Planned Parenthood insists it does not profit from the sale of tissue donations for medical research. Its suit claims the anti-abortion activists set up a bogus tissue procurement company and lied their way into private meetings that it illegally taped. [CNN, Early Start with John Berman and Christine Romans, 1/15/16]

Multiple State And Federal Investigations Into Allegations Made By CMP Have Cleared Planned Parenthood

Growing List Of Planned Parenthood Investigations Clears Organization Of Any Wrongdoing. The deceptively-edited and secretly-recorded videos released by CMP have spurred at least 11 states to launch investigations into Planned Parenthood's operations, even though there are “only three states in which Planned Parenthood affiliate clinics can participate in fetal tissue donation programs,” according to Yahoo News. At least seven states -- Massachusetts, Indiana, South Dakota, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Washington state -- and the Department of Health and Human Services have all announced that they found no wrongdoing by Planned Parenthood or known violations of federal fetal tissue donation laws. [Media Matters,8/24/15]

Media Matters Named CMP “Misinformer Of The Year.” Media Matters named CMP, a previously-unknown anti-choice group, “Misinformer of the Year” in 2015 due to their series of dishonest videos that falsely accused Planned Parenthood of illegally selling “baby parts.” The deceptively-edited videos were picked up by right-wing media and long-standing abortion opponents, including right-wing elected officials, to generate baseless congressional hearings, state and federal investigations, and endless media chatter smearing Planned Parenthood with the goal of limiting the organization's ability to provide reproductive health care. [Media Matters, 12/17/16]