And behold, the Center for Medical Progress opened the fifth seal, and thus came forth the most horrific revelations to date in the ongoing Planned Parenthood scandal, with talk of “intact fetal cadavers”, “just another line item” and the most damning admissions of apparent illegality to date. And lo, Univision News has at long last seen fit to come off the sidelines, albeit with entirely predictable coverage.
On the network’s evening newscast, anchor María Elena Salinas quickly gives away the entire game:
MARIA ELENA SALINAS, ANCHOR: Controversy is growing over videos that denounce the supposed sale of the tissues of aborted fetuses for medical research. An anti-abortion group today released their fifth undercover recording, in which the Planned Parenthood organization is accused of conducting the illegal sale of fetal tissues. However, many question those videos for being edited in a biased way.
Salinas then tosses the report to Arantxa Loizaga, who goes into an extremely sanitized explanation of the contents of the video. Thankfully, Univision’s viewers were spared the haunting sight of the remains of the martyred 18-weeker in the casserole pan, or of the ghoulish manner in which the local Planned Parenthood employees handle that day’s remains (crowing about them in a manner reminiscent of a fishmonger touting the day's catch), or of the storage refrigerator ghoulishly labeled “the nursery”.
One might say Loizaga avoided mention of the more damning aspects of the investigation, such as a potential criminal conspiracy, with the same level of care apparently shown by these abortionists when extracting fetal organs for profit. Mollie Hemingway at The Federalist gives us a full breakdown of the awful video, which includes all the things that Loizaga breezily glossed over.
It is Loizaga who does most of the narrative heavy lifting, as she is the one tasked with regurgitating the “fetal tissue” and “handling fees” tropes. Incidentally, the network’s coverage of this atrocity was initially signaled through Jorge Ramos’ interview of Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) for Fusion and Al Punto. It is Ramos, Asker of Tough Questions and Afflicter of The Comfortable, who meekly asks about the legality or ethics of fetal tissue sales and then allows Sanders to deliver an unabated defense of Planned Parenthood in a language that mirrors both that of the Planned Parenthood executive in the network newscast report, as well as that of Loizaga herself towards the end of the report.
ARANTXA LOIZAGA, REPORTER: This new video was released a day after the Senate blocked a law that sought to defund Planned Parenthood. Even President Obama commented that he’d veto any legislation that took away funds from the non-profit organization that provides free medical services.
Loizaga dropped that particular gem after parroting Planned Parenthood’s demonstrably false “abortion is only 3 percent of what we do” line.
So committed is Univision to walking the progressive line that the network is unswayed by the fact that the latest video featured the Planned Parenthood megaclinic located in Houston, Texas, one of Univision’s principal markets, with a population that is 44% Hispanic.
Given the local and national coverage that Univision’s news division has elected to give to an issue that would - if covered without bias - horrify vast majorities of its viewership, one can only conclude that the butchery of the unborn for gross profit must also be a cornerstone of Isaac Lee’s vision for a “more fair society, for a more inclusive society and for the Hispanic community to be better.”
The owner of the tiny hand shown towards the end of the CMP video was not available to comment.
The complete transcript of the referenced segment of Noticiero Univision appears below.
Noticiero Univision August 4, 2015
MARIA ELENA SALINAS, ANCHOR: Controversy is growing over videos that denounce the supposed sale of the tissues of aborted fetuses for medical research. An anti-abortion group today released their fifth undercover recording, in which the Planned Parenthood organization is accused of conducting the illegal sale of fetal tissues. However, many question those videos for being edited in a biased way. Arantxa Loizaga has the controversy.
ARANTXA LOIZAGA, REPORTER: This is the fifth undercover video released by the anti-abortion organization Center for Medical Progress, which accuses Planned Parenthood of selling fetal tissue.
VIDEO EXCERPT OF MELISSA FARRELL, PLANNED PARENTHOOD: If we alter a process and we’re able to obtain intact fetal cadavers, then we can make it part of the budget.
ARANTXA LOIZAGA: This past April 9th, those who made the video passed themselves off as representatives of a fetal tissue purchasing company, and obtained access to one of Planned Parenthood’s laboratories in Houston, Texas.
VIDEO EXCERPT OF MELISSA FARRELL, PLANNED PARENTHOOD: You know, when it matters, you know in the cases of when it’s mattered and the physicians also need an intact specimen, they can make it happen, so we just need to figure out how…
ARANTXA LOIZAGA: The leader of this investigation says it can also be a matter of infanticide, with the sale of intact fetuses.
DAVID DALEIDEN, SPOKESPERSON CENTER FOR MEDICAL PROGRESS: And whenever you’re talking about fully intact fetuses, the acquisition is made without chemicals that kill them, because it would damage the tissues. That is evidence that the infants are born alive.
ARANTXA LOIZAGA: Up until now, they are merely accusations that are added to that of charging per tissue, which runs between $30 and $100 according to the video series. Nonetheless, although the law prohibits profiting from the tissues, Planned Parenthood can legally charge a fee for the preservation, transport and any other administrative costs of delivering that organic matter to research centers.
DAWN LAGUENS, EXECUTIVE VP PLANNED PARENTHOOD: We are seeing attacks aimed at eliminating legal abortion in the country and destroying Planned Parenthood, an organization that defends the health rights and freedom of women in the country.
ARANTXA LOIZAGA: And it’s that according to the organization’s data, only 3% of the more than 10 million services provided in 2014 were abortions. The other patients received contraceptives and health-care prevention services, free of charge. This new video was released a day after the Senate blocked a law that sought to defund Planned Parenthood. Even President Obama commented that he’d veto any legislation that took away funds from the non-profit organization that provides free medical services. María Elena, this battle will continue.
MARIA ELENA SALINAS, ANCHOR: Without a doubt. Many thanks, Arantxa.
