Planned Parenthood has initiated lawsuit against anti-abortion activist after the group released a series of heavily edited videos. The said footages were filmed covertly, showing company officials discussing the sale of fetal tissue.
In a federal lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood in a federal district court in San Francisco Thursday, the company charges anti-abortion extremists Center for Medical Progress for violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and committing acts constituting fraud, trespassing and invasion of privacy.
Herein defendants, David Daleiden, Troy Newman and four other members of the Center for Medical Progress reportedly obtained the video by joining private medical conferences using fake government IDs, during which they secretly taped conversations with staffers from Planned Parenthood, The Huffington Post wrote.
"The people behind this fraud lied and broke the law in order to spread malicious lies about Planned Parenthood," Planned Parenthood Federation of America executive vice president Dawn Laguens said in a written statement.
The videos, which first surfaced in July last year, has caused massive uproar and backlash against the company, creating an environment that has threated the security of the its employees and partners.
According to The New York Times a portion of the footage shows a senior Planned Parenthood medical official discussing casually over launch the trade of fetal tissue to the accused, who at that time represented themselves as members of a fake fetal tissue procurement company called BioMax.
In its totality, the videos suggest that Planned Parenthood was illegally selling fetal body parts, an accusation which it has firmly denied.
The company also stated that the videos were edited in a manner that would mislead videos, and added that many Planned Parenthood centers across the country have legally transferred fetal tissue for medical research and with consent from the women involved.
Meanwhile, David Daleiden of the Center for Medical Progress said the "frivolous" lawsuit was a "last-ditch move of desperation."
"I look forward to deposing all the CEOs, medical directors, and their co-conspirators who participated in Planned Parenthood's illegal baby body parts racket," Daleiden said.
Under the 65-page civil racketeering claim, Planned Parenthood seeks the indemnification of actual costs as well as punitive damages against the defending activist organization. A spokesperson of the company added that despite the negativity Planned Parenthood has suffered, it will continue to provide services such as birth control, abortion, treatments for sexually transmitted diseases and cancer screenings.
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