A federal appellate judge in Texas issued a ruling late on Jan. 17 that dismantles key talking points used by the pro-abortion movement to defend Planned Parenthood’s sale of aborted baby body parts.
When the videos were released by The Center for Medical Progress, a pro-life group, Planned Parenthood and its defenders used the same set of talking points to disparage the evidence, specifically focusing on a claim that the videos were “heavily [and] deceptively edited.” The same talking points were often parroted, without evidence, by the news media.
In a 36-page ruling, Circuit Judge Edith Jones noted that a review by an independent forensic firm determined “That the video was authentic and not deceptively edited,” refuting Planned Parenthood’s claims. Jones ruled that the state’s decision to remove Planned Parenthood’s affiliates from the Medicaid provider rolls was lawful.
https://youtu.be/6LPlHjP1DVw
The Fifth Circuit also noted that Planned Parenthood executives have admitted to illegally altering abortion procedures and circumventing the partial-birth abortion ban in order to procure intact aborted baby bodies for greater profit. In one example, Planned Parenthood abortionists would sign a form stating that they did not “intend” to retrieve an intact fetus, purportedly to circumvent federal statutes.
“The Court ruled that Texas may strip Planned Parenthood’s taxpayer subsidies, finding Planned Parenthood uses criminal partial birth abortions to sell baby parts. Now, it is time for the U.S. Department of Justice to do its job and hold Planned Parenthood accountable to the law.”
The U.S. Senate failed to pass a measure on Jan. 17 to permanently ban taxpayer-funded abortions. The vote came within hours of the Fifth Circuit ruling. Republicans largely favor the measure, while the vast majority of Democrats oppose it.
The final vote, 48-47, included two nays by Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski and two ayes by Democrats Bob Casey and Joe Manchin. Five GOP senators did not cast a vote: Lamar Alexander, Richard Burr, Mike Crapo, Lindsey Graham, and Rand Paul.
The Fifth Circuit ruling was filed one day before the March for Life event in Washington, the largest annual pro-life gathering in the nation. Last year, President Donald Trump became the first sitting president to address the march in person. The march was conceived in 1973 on the heels of the Roe v Wade decision by the Supreme Court that invalidated dozens of state laws restricting abortions.