Planned Parenthood is in trouble. While Democratic politicians continue to stand behind the organization, corporate sponsors reportedly are dropping by the wayside. Planned Parenthood has tried to go on the attack, claiming that the first two videos were “deceptively edited”–an absurd assertion, given that the raw footage was released in its entirety at the same time as the shorter, edited highlights versions–and falsely claiming that the people involved in the Center for Medical Progress have “been behind the bombing of clinics, the murder of doctors in their homes, and in their churches.” Someone call the U.S. Attorney!
What makes Planned Parenthood’s position so difficult is that it has never really been a secret that the organization sells babies’ organs. What Planned Parenthood wants to say (and does say, although with a certain lack of conviction) is that selling babies’ organs is a great thing because they are used in scientific research. The problem is that no one who watches the videos has that reaction. The sale of body parts is obviously a dirty business–that’s what you will think if you watch the videos, anyway–and it’s hard not to feel that abortion is a dirty business too.
Press reaction to video number three has been muted. The New York Times, for example, doesn’t appear to have mentioned it. Most “mainstream” outlets wish the whole thing would go away, and are focusing their coverage on side issues, like Republicans’ efforts to defund Planned Parenthood. The less said about the actual content of the videos the better, for obvious reasons.
But press reaction is also probably cautious because everyone knows there are more videos where these came from. At this point, no one knows what those videos will show or how much worse the situation could get for Planned Parenthood. So for now, liberal news organizations are trying to keep their heads down and pretend that the news story is all about politics.
