Identity of editor behind Planned Parenthood videos revealed
The identity has been revealed of one of the editors of a film accusing Planned Parenthood of illegally profiting from the sale of fetal tissue.
Planned Parenthood has strongly denied claims made by the series of videos, saying they were “deceptively edited” to suggest it profits from illegal sales.
It is still unclear how the videos were made, but video editor Ryan Gonzalez has spent at least 11 months on the project, reveals the Huffington Post.
An anonymous friend of Gonzales revealed to the publication that he worked on the videos with the founder of the Center for Medical Progress, David Daleiden.
The organisation campaigns against abortion, and Daleiden previously worked for Live Action, also against abortion.
The source told HuffPo that the two met in Orange County once or twice a week to edit the videos, and in May 2015 began meeting more frequently, leading up to their publication.
Earlier this year, Gonzalez posted on Facebook that he was “proud” to call Daleiden a friend, and on the videos, said: “This is the first part of a project I’ve been editing since last August and haven’t been able to talk about until now.”
One of the videos depicts the senior director of medical services at Planned Parenthood talking to actors posing as biologists attempting to procure tissue.
It has been used by Republican politicians who want to de-fund the organisation, which provides health care services to women and young people.
The Center for Medical Progress has released short segments of secretly filmed video, as well as what it claims to be raw, unedited footage.
While Planned Parenthood refutes claims made by Daleiden’s organisation, and a team hired by the former found in August that the video “did not reveal widespread evidence of substantive video manipulation” but “contained numerous intentional post-production edits.”
The Center for Medical Progress said the edits were down to “bathroom breaks or waiting time between meetings [that] were removed to protect the investigators.”
Facebook posts since the release of the video saw Gonzalez and Daleiden make jokes about allegations that they had selectively edited the videos.
Earlier today the House of Representatives voted narrowly to set up a select committee to investigate Planned Parenthood.
Democrats have argued that the investigation was always the motive behind the videos, and that it is an unnecessary waste of time.
