Judge orders removal of Planned Parenthood video, will consider contempt against filmmaker

A federal judge ordered the Center for Medical Progress to remove its new video from YouTube on Thursday, saying that the video’s publication violates a preliminary injunction blocking the group from publicly releasing footage it captured at conferences of the National Abortion Federation, according to The Associated Press.

The injunction prevented the pro-life group from releasing undercover footage its filmmakers captured of discussions that took place at the National Abortion Federation’s 2014 and 2015 annual conferences. NAF, a trade organization for abortion providers, argued that the release of the footage could endanger its members. The Center for Medical Progress is currently appealing the injunction.

On Thursday, Steve Cooley and Associates, a law firm representing David Daleiden, the founder of the Center for Medical Progress, released a video that they described as a "preview" of the footage that is under the injunction. The video depicts abortion providers and Planned Parenthood executives describing abortion procedures in gruesome terms.

The video also raised new questions about allegations that Planned Parenthood trafficked aborted fetal body parts, spurring renewed calls from pro-life activists to strip federal funds from Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider. Planned Parenthood has denied illegal conduct.

According to the AP, after the video’s publication, U.S. District Judge William Orrick ordered Daleiden and his attorneys,  Brentford Ferreira and Cooley, to appear at a June 14 hearing to consider holding them in contempt of court.

Townhall noted that Orrick is the same judge who issued the injunction on the pro-life group’s NAF footage last year.

The video, which has been removed from YouTube, is still available via Live Leak: