Movement to expose and defund Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood has come under fire as a result of five recent videos showing Planned Parenthood clinic managers helping sex traffickers obtain abortions for women as young as 14-years-old. A group called Expose Planned Parenthood has formed to defund and further expose the nation's largest abortion provider and recipient of Title 10 funding.

WASHINGTON DC (Catholic Online) - Planned Parenthood has come under fire from the religious, pro-life, and legal community for five recent videos showing Planned Parenthood clinic managers in New Jersey and Virginia talking to undercover reporters posing as a pimp and prostitute. A group called Expose Planned Parenthood has formed to defund and further expose the nation's largest abortion provider and recipient of Title 10 funding. LiveAction, a new media pro-life group, published the videos and feature them on their LiveAction.org.

In the videos the "pimp" claims that he may have contracted a sexually transmitted disease from one of the prostitutes in his criminal ring and that he is sex trafficking girls as young as 14-years-old. Filmed at a New Jersey abortion clinic, the first released video shows "a clinic manager in New Jersey apparently advising the pair on how to obtain services for illegal immigrant prostitutes and sex workers as young as 14," reports the Washington Post. The video filmed at Richmond, Falls Church, Charlottesville, and Roanoke, VA abortion clinics exposes similar advice and corruption.

"We were profoundly shocked when we viewed the videotape released this morning, which depicted an employee of one of our health centers behaving in a repugnant manner that is inconsistent with our standards of care and is completely unacceptable," said Phyllis Kinsler, chief of Planned Parenthood of New Jersey, speaking of the first released video. "The employee in the video was immediately suspended from her duties this morning and was terminated this evening."

The New Jersey abortion clinic manager told the undercover reporters to have the girls lie about their age and write that they are "students" in order that the pimp might get a cheaper service rate. To avoid reporting cases of abuse to the authorities, the manager promises to "play it stupid" when the supposed pimp and minors falsify medical documents to obtain abortion and testing services.

Planned Parenthood spokesman Stuart Schear said the clinic staff alerted the national organization and contacted local authorities about the possibility of a sex ring operating in the area, but did so only after they sensed they were being investigated. Who exactly those authorities are and what action has been taken since then has not been clarified.

According to the Washington Post, "At least 12 clinics in six states received visits in January by men claiming to be engaged in sex trafficking, according to Planned Parenthood. In each case, the clinic's staff notified federal and local authorities. Planned Parenthood also sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. on Jan. 18 citing its concerns about sex trafficking and suggesting that the visits might be part of a hoax."

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It is unclear if the letter mentions concern about Planned Parenthood employees assisting sex traffickers or refusing to report clear cases of sex abuse to the authorities.

Expose Planned Parenthood, a coalition of many pro-life organizations and individuals, held a webcast on their website Thursday night in which advocates called for the federal government to more closely regulate Planned Parenthood operations and end federal funding to Planned Parenthood. During the webcast, a former Planned Parenthood clinic manager said, "Planned Parenthood is a safe haven for people who are trying to abuse girls and even minor women."

Representative Mike Pence spoke with Tony Perkins, Family Research Council President, during the webcast and said, "To say it's an outrage feels like an understatement, Tony. The very idea that here once again we have video evidence of an employee of Planned Parenthood actually aiding and abetting in criminal behavior, sex trafficking is just deeply offensive. Once again it argues in favor of the efforts that you've been making, that we've been making on Capitol Hill, that the time has come to deny any and all federal funding to Planned Parenthood of America. I think millions of America are surprised to learn that the largest abortion provider in America is also the largest recipient of federal funding under Title 10."

Rep. Pence is the sponsor of HR 217, a legislative effort that would defund Planned Parenthood, which is supported by the coalition behind Expose Planned Parenthood. Lila Rose, president of LiveAction and a member of Expose Planned Parenthood, said LiveAction sent Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and Virginia law enforcement officials the three recent revelations of Planned Parenthood abuses in their state.

Planned Parenthood's national organization has not issued a press release yet about the videos or the allegations that their employees showed partiality to a child sex trafficker.

Stuart Schear, a Planned Parenthood federation vice president, did, however, condemn the investigation saying, "If these visits are part of a 'dirty tricks' campaign, they must be condemned," which takes a much more defensive tone than that of their state office. Planned Parenthood has yet to clarify which they find more offensive: their employees' willingness to offer assistance to sex traffickers or the investigation exposing abuses in their clinics.

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Billy Atwell contributes to Catholic Online, and blogs for The Point and the Manhattan Declaration. As a young lay Catholic and two-time cancer survivor he offers commentary on faith, culture, and politics. You can find all of his writings at For the Greater Glory.

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