DOJ Subpoenas Planned Parenthood Records

[Coleus]

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has subpoenaed hundreds of medical records from six Planned Parenthood sites as part of the government's defense in lawsuits challenging the Partial-Birth Abortion Act (search).

According to court documents, Justice Department lawyers say the records - which would be edited to remove names and other personal information - are essential to defend the law against the lawsuits brought by Planned Parenthood (search) and doctor groups around the country.

The suits challenge the law that prohibits a procedure referred to by critics as partial-birth abortion but by medical organizations as "intact dilation and etraction." (search) During the procedure, a fetus's legs and torso are pulled from the uterus before its skull is punctured.

Planned Parenthood has resisted producing the medical records, which critics of the subpoenas say threatens the privacy of patients and could intimidate doctors and clinics that provide abortions.

"We believe it is an invasion of confidential medical records," Planned Parenthood spokeswoman Elizabeth Toledo said Thursday. "People ought to have a reasonable expectation of privacy."

Toledo said several hundred records were being sought from Planned Parenthood affiliates that serve western Pennsylvania; San Diego; Los Angeles; New York City; Kansas/Mid-Missouri; and the Washington metro area. The Justice Department is focusing on those to produce a geographic sample and because many of Planned Parenthood's expert witnesses work at the six sites.

Planned Parenthood Federation of America, founded in 1916 and based in New York, runs 900 health centers in 49 states and serves about 5 million people each year.

The Justice Department also is seeking similar records from six hospitals where doctors who are challenging the partial-birth abortion law did the procedure. The department is encountering resistance over privacy concerns.

The department recently filed a motion seeking to force Planned Parenthood to produce the records in U.S. District Court in San Francisco. The trial is scheduled to begin March 29.

Planned Parenthood and the Justice Department have reached an agreement on how to protect the identities of any records that do become a part of the case. Attorney General John Ashcroft has insisted that the government has no interest in learning the identity of any patient.

The lawsuits claim that the ban on this contested type of abortion is unconstitutional because it is too broad and lacks an exception for a woman's health.

[Coleus]

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[Coleus]

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[Saundra Duffy]

Sheeeesh, I detest Planned Parenthood.

[b4its2late]

Good. When I give any $ to the United Way, I make sure that it is restricted and that this organization (Planned Parenthood) gets zip, zero, nada from me......

[Diago]

Good news.

Note to Conservatives who will have trouble pulling the lever for Bush:

Janet Reno Did not do this!

[Cicero]

One thing the Justice Department should also investigate is cases when Planned Parenthood aborts minor children. These pregnant girls are often escorted to PP clinics by adult boyfriends without the knowledge or consent of their parents. In effect, Planned Parenthhood is abetting and concealing statutory rape.

All this, of course, in the name of protecting women.

[jwalsh07]

Somebody should definitely investigate the statutory rapists get out of jail free card supplied by PP.

Good point.

[George from New England]

If you can't keep your hands on your donation all the way through to the recipient you are then TRUSTING the United Way. I don't trust anyone or group that acts pro-abortion; if they don't care about the weakest of God's creations how can they be trusted to care about your request.

GIVE directly to the need of your choice.

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

Good news.

[b4its2late]

So noted...

But, I'm trusting them until I find out otherwise. And I WILL find out if my UW chapter is not doing as I wish.....

[Bush2000]

"We believe it is an invasion of confidential medical records," Planned Parenthood spokeswoman Elizabeth Toledo said Thursday. "People ought to have a reasonable expectation of privacy."

The lawsuits claim that the ban on this contested type of abortion is unconstitutional because it is too broad and lacks an exception for a woman's health.

By specifying the "exception for a woman's health", Planned Parenthood is implicitly making the assertion that late-term abortions are necessary in some cases to preserve the health of the mother. This opens up Planned Parenthood to discovery of abortion records. The reason that they're resisting the subpoena is that they know that those records do not sustain their fundamental assertion. Late-term abortion is *never* performed to preserve the health of the mother. It's a smokescreen. Legal snake oil. Planned Parenthood knows that they're been cornered -- and that's the reason they're fighting so hard to keep the records secret.

[Mr. Silverback]

ProLife Ping!

If anyone wants on or off my ProLife Ping List, please notify me here or by freepmail.

[thoughtomator]

You should not entrust United Way with your charity. They are fully controlled by the Left's agenda. Killing babies, yes; Boy Scouts without homosexuals, no. Sadly, that's how far they have fallen.

[Coleus]

Late-term abortion is *never* performed to preserve the health of the mother. It's a smokescreen. Legal snake oil. Planned Parenthood knows that they're been cornered -- and that's the reason they're fighting so hard to keep the records secret. >>>

That's right, PBA as is most abortion is used as a convenience for the mother, most women don't die from pregnancy, if death does occur it usually occurs during labor in natural childbirth, few and far between, death from a c-section is also very rare, as a matter of fact, there are a great many health benefits from being pregnant, giving birth and breast feeding.

[winner3000]

Money is fungible. If you contribute to the United Way and restrict your donation, your donation will probably go toward the charities you select. However, it will free up other money (that has no restriction on it) that the United Way would be free to send to Planned Parenthood or whoever they want.

[Coleus]

Planned Parenthood fosters child abuse and statutory rape.

Child Predators

 

If hundreds of stores were caught on tape ignoring the law in order to sell tobacco or alcohol to a 13-year-old girl, would you be outraged? Well hundreds of Planned Parenthood clinics have been caught on tape ignoring the law in order to sell abortions and birth control pills to a 13-year-old girl. Instead of reporting child abuse, as required by law, Planned Parenthood clinics are willing to conceal adult-child sex in order to make money off of victims of child sexual abuse. Click below to hear some of the tricks that Planned Parenthood uses to help conceal child abuse and protect sexual predators from law enforcement.

AUDIO ONLY: To hear excerpts from the Planned Parenthood tapes, click here.

Video: To view a transcript along with the audio, click on Real Player or Windows Media

Aborting Child Protection
Does Planned Parenthood oppose child abuse?
Aborting Child Protection Does Planned Parenthood oppose child abuse?

Texas works to Protect Children

Crimes like statutory rape & child abuse threaten workers at abortion mills

[Coleus]

It really doesn't work that way. I used to work for an United Way Agency, the agencies receive the same amount of money granted whether you identify an agency or not, what they do is just subtract the amount you gave from the general fund, so it's still equal.

United Way has become very liberal, yrs. ago they primarily gave to youth organizations now it's granted to many left-wing causes. You would be better off by just donating to the charity directly.

[freeangel]

Although I am a firm believer in the privacy of patients, PP brought this suit and it is their obligation to provide records that prove this procedure is a medical necessity. They can't because it isn't and now they are trying to obstruct the truth.

[Neanderthal]

"Good. When I give any $ to the United Way, I make sure that it is restricted and that this organization (Planned Parenthood) gets zip, zero, nada from me......"

If you give money to the UW you are giving money to Planned Parenthood and other evil groups that UW supports. Your "restriction" of your donation has no effect at all on anything UW wants to do. They simply shift money around from one internal account to another but at the end of the day they give exactly what they want to whom they want. The restrictions do not affect in any way the amounts that UW decides to send to its favorite recipients. The "restrictions" are a sneaky scam to trick the suckers into continuing to contribute to a really rotten organization.

[b4its2late]

I see. Ya'll convinced me.

Looks like United Way will not be getting any money from me anymore....