Planned Parenthood and the Moral Blindness of the Holocaust, Part 2.

Planned Parenthood and their propagandists have embraced the same moral blindness that enabled the Holocaust. In the holocaust the sub-humanity of the Jews and other races was an excuse for every extremity of moral excess. In the same way Planned Parenthood embraces the non-humanity of infants as an excuse for every extremity of moral excess. The propagandists of Planned Parenthood have blinded themselves to the plain sense of what is happening in the abortion clinics, just as the propagandists of the holocaust blinded themselves, and much of the world, to the plain sense of what was happening in the concentration camps. God’s people must not allow themselves to be persuaded by their darkened reasoning.

This is the second of three posts developing these ideas:
Part 1: Dehumanization by Euphemism and Rationale.
Part 2: The Propagandist (this post)
Part 3: The Will Not to Believe

Another major area of similarity between the Holocaust and Planned Parenthood is the willing cooperation of media propagandists in suppressing the truth and promoting the lie. For the Nazis, of course, a major focus of propaganda was the idea that the Jews were animals intent on raping their women, enslaving their children, bankrupting their nation and diluting their race. Every issue in society, from high prices to lost battles, was blamed on the Jews and their sympathizers. The instruments of German propaganda were fully in State hands, and Goebbels and others utilized them to great effect. Even the Allies, up to a point, were taken in by the propaganda that belittled the idea of killings or massacres.

The most astounding example is the town of Tereseinstadt in Czechoslovakia. In reality this town was just another concentration camp, rife with disease, malnutrition and death, a sluice to the East (Auschwitz). But German propaganda said “the Fuhrer gives the Jews a town,” and they made a movie, an absolute fabrication, which showed the rich and joyous life the Jews were living in their island of safety. And some bought this fabrication.

The media buy-in to Planned Parenthood’s feeble defense of its moral blindness has been astounding. To cite just one recent mainstream example, the Houston Chronicle in reporting on last weekend’s protests at Planned Parenthood clinics said

Planned Parenthood spokespeople have said the videos were edited and are not accurate, and that the agency does not sell fetal tissue. ‘While Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast doesn’t currently provide this service, it is a standard practice in the medical community,’ Rochelle Tafolla, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, which operates in Texas and Louisiana, previously told the Chronicle. ‘In health care, patients sometimes want to donate tissue to scientific research that can help lead to medical breakthroughs, such as treatments and cures for serious diseases. Women who have abortions are no different.’

I’ve already addressed the claim that this practice leads to medical breakthroughs. The (very badly worded) claim that Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast does not sell fetal tissue was clearly contradicted by Melissa Ferrell, the director of research, who said in a Center for Medical Progress video “I think everyone realizes especially because my department contributes so much to the bottom line of our organization, you know we’re one of the largest affiliates in the country. Our research department is the largest in the United States, larger than any the other affiliates’ combined.”

The phrase ‘bottom line’ is not ambiguous. It can only refer to the funds brought in by the research department. Are all these funds from the ‘donation’ of fetal tissue? I assume not. But in the context of a discussion of the price of fetal specimens, at least some of it must be, and it contributes a significantly to the bottom line of the organization.

Much of the media coverage relies on subtleties and half-truths to defend Planned Parenthood. For example the news site MotherJones reports, that based on the Center for Medical Progress videos, conservatives have

pushed for investigations to unmask this purported criminal wrongdoing. But so far, those investigations are falling flat. Completed probes in Georgia, Indiana, Massachusetts, and South Dakota have spent thousands in taxpayer money but turned up no evidence that Planned Parenthood is trafficking in the sale of fetal tissue.”

What MotherJones fails to mention is that

“Georgia requires that fetal remains be buried or cremated. It is not legal for any fetal remains to be donated.” “Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky ‘does not participate in any tissue donation program.’” “Although donation of fetal tissue is permissible under state and federal law, Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts does not have a tissue donation program.” “the state [Pennsylvania] reported that fetal-tissue donation is perfectly legal in the state, but Planned Parenthood doesn’t even do that.”

Do you see what’s happening here? In states where Planned Parenthood does not do fetal tissue donation, fetal tissue donation is not being done illegally. This typical media slight-of-hand is being passed off as a victory for Planned Parenthood.

One of the media outlets most blatantly defending Planned Parenthood is MediaMatters. Let’s look at a few of their claims: “1. Video Still Shows No Clear Evidence Of Illegality And Key Witness Provides No Evidence That Planned Parenthood Broke The Law.” The key witness, Holly O’Donnell, mentioned above, provided no evidence but her own testimony, which would be considered evidence if given under oath in any court of law. By her testimony, what was happening was illegal. The Born Alive Infant Protection Act of 2002 (BAIPA) states that any infant born alive must be give the full protection of existing laws, including those that prosecute child abuse, neglect, and murder. Even Health and Human Services requires hospitals to treat the birth of a live infant during an abortion procedure as a medical emergency requiring immediate life-saving treatment. BAIPA says:

As used in this section, the term ‘born alive’, with respect to a member of the species homo sapiens, means the complete expulsion or extraction from his or her mother of that member, at any stage of development, who after such expulsion or extraction breathes or has a beating heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles, regardless of whether the umbilical cord has been cut, and regardless of whether the expulsion or extraction occurs as a result of natural or induced labor, cesarean section, or induced abortion.

If Holly O’Donnell’s witness is reliable, that baby was legally alive. In the same video an executives of other fetal tissue companies who work with Planned Parenthood are also shown. “Van Handel admits, ‘There are times when after the procedure is done that the heart actually is still beating,’ and Larton describes abortions she has seen where ‘the fetus was already in the vaginal canal whenever we put her in the stirrups, it just fell out.’” According to Federal Law those living babies required full emergency treatment.

MediaMatters says “2. Video Features More Third-Party Tissue Procurement Companies.” Yeah. But these third party companies work with Planned Parenthood and describe abortions that took place at Planned Parenthood facilities.

MediaMatters says “3. Video Uses Highly-Edited Clips Of Planned Parenthood Officials Already Debunked As Deceptively Edited And Showing Nothing Illegal.” The comments and attitudes of Planned Parenthood officials come across even more disturbingly in the full unedited videos, which the Center for Medical Progress has also released. Naturally these officials always use the double-speak of ‘tissue donation’ – they aren’t stupid. But the plain sense of the conversations is that we are negotiating prices and modifying procedures for money.

MediaMatters says “4. Video Again Largely Relies On Third-Party Technician Who Did Not Work For Planned Parenthood, But Worked For A Middleman Company That Sold Fetal Tissue Donations To Researchers.” Holly O’Donnell worked for StemExpress, but she worked at a Planned Parenthood clinic (Planned Parenthood Mar Monte’s Alameda clinic in San Jose, CA.) Do you see how Media Matters twists the truth to try to evade the obvious?

MediaMatters says “5. StemExpress Says Technician Featured In Video Violated Employment Agreement.” Of course they didn’t want their employees showing the world what they do. But Media Matters is trying to find any possible way to be outraged by the Center of Medical Progress in order to deflect attention away from the actual content of what Holly O’Donnell is saying or the horrors CMP is filming.

The media is morally blind and committed to a value (choice) that overrides all moral intuitions. They have to defend Planned Parenthood. In part 3 of this series we’ll consider what our response must be.

Part 1: Dehumanization by Euphemism and Rationale.
Part 2: The Propagandist (this post)
Part 3: The Will Not to Believe