Two undercover video investigators who last year uncovered Planned Parenthood’s baby-body parts trade have faced a California judge in the abortion giant’s multi-million-dollar lawsuit against them.
A decision on motions to dismiss the case against David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt will be announced later by Judge William Orrick.
The abortion corporation, whose executives were caught discussing how much they could be paid for the body parts of unborn children – one said “I want a Lamborghini” – filed a 15-count lawsuit against the two, claiming they are legally responsible for the loss of taxpayer funding in several states and for up to $16 million in other losses.
Two legal teams, however, argued that the case should be dismissed under California’s Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation law – first because Planned Parenthood’s losses “were caused by its own gruesome, barbaric, unethical, and potentially unlawful practices.”
Not, the attorneys argued in a hearing this week, because of the “courageous and constitutionally protected acts of a truth-teller who exposed those practices.”
WND has reported extensively on the revelations uncovered in the videos released by the Center for Medical Progress. CMP, after having its investigators pose as procurement experts in the abortion industry, released a dozen videos last year showing Planned Parenthood doctors and managers discussing the fetal body part trade and how they could increase their profit from it.
In response, Congress launched multiple investigations, including one by the House Select Panel on Infant Lives, which already has concluded the abortion industry profits from the sale of body parts. Several states decided to stop funding the abortion giant, too.
Daleiden and Merritt also are defendants in a separate case brought by a Texas prosecutor who has links to the abortion industry.
The recent revelations from the House Select Panel on Infant Lives generated further negative publicity for Planned Parenthood.
“This barbarism degrades our nation and violates federal laws against such profiteering. We commend the Select Panel for its investigative work thus far and call on the Department of Justice to take immediate action,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony List.
“The abortion industry sells baby hearts, livers, brains, hands and other organs procured by a middleman company inside their facilities at no cost or effort to the facilities themselves,” she continued. “The facility receives upfront fees that can amount to five-figure sums every month and then the procurement companies resell organs for tens of thousands more – depending on the child’s characteristics.
“Was the developing baby 18 weeks old? 24 weeks? Was the mother a smoker? What is the child’s ethnicity? All of these factors might make the heart, foot, eyeball or limbs more expensive,” she said in a statement.
The Life Legal Defense Foundation is representing Daleiden in the case, and Liberty Counsel is representing Merritt.
Katie Short, vice president of legal affairs for LLDF, argued for Daleiden, explaining to the judge that Planned Parenthood, a corporation with annual revenue of more than $1.3 billion, was trying to stop the speech of Daleiden.
“Katie Short did a stellar job of arguing that Planned Parenthood’s claims against David Daleiden are simply not supported by sufficient evidence,” said Life Legal Executive Director Alexandra Snyder. “We hope Judge Orrick recognizes that the only reason Planned Parenthood filed this lawsuit was to shield itself from the truth that it is a key player in the dismembering and trafficking of the bodies of aborted children.”
For Liberty Counsel, it was Chief Counsel Harry Mihet who argued for Merritt.
He contended the lawsuit has no legal basis and is designed only to silence Merritt’s First Amendment rights.
Liberty Counsel noted that the abortionists are trying to use the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, law “as a weapon to stop the undercover videos produced by the Center for Medical Progress that exposed Planned Parenthood’s gruesome trade in baby body parts.”
However, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled several years ago RICO cannot be used against pro-life picketers to silence free speech.
“Planned Parenthood is obviously abusing the law in a desperate attempt to silence Sandra Merritt. The Supreme Court has ruled that RICO cannot be used to silence free speech and that is precisely what Planned Parenthood is seeking to accomplish. Planned Parenthood will not succeed. This case should be dismissed,” said Mat Staver, chairman of Liberty Counsel.
In the first undercover video released by CMP, Deborah Nucatola of Planned Parenthood commented on crushing babies in ways that would leave various parts saleable.
“We’ve been very good at getting heart, lung, liver, because we know that, so I’m not gonna crush that part, I’m gonna basically crush below, I’m gonna crush above, and I’m gonna see if I can get it all intact,” she said.
See the first video:
[jwplayer 7pzwagZg]
In the second video, Planned Parenthood’s Mary Gatter discussed how her compensation for organs could rise when she said, “I want a Lamborghini.”
See her comments:
[jwplayer vbPjx8h2]
The fifth video released shows Melissa Farrell of Planned Parenthood’s Houston clinic discussing “intact fetal cadavers”:
[jwplayer 6YZC1nO2]
The seventh video has the testimony of a Planned Parenthood worker who tapped an aborted infant’s heart and saw it start beating.
[jwplayer 5wFzwlF1]
And No. 8 features Cate Dyer, CEO of Stem Express, admitting Planned Parenthood sells fully intact aborted babies.
[jwplayer RiJygVb1]
