Sarah Palin and her daughter Bristol (Well actually Nancy French) jump on the newest fake conservative outrage of the day.

Courtesy of Little Green Footballs

I first saw this today over at Brancy's blog: 

A new undercover video was just released that shows a top Planned Parenthood doctor selling baby parts. Yes, you read that right! A top official at an organization that receives over $500 million in American tax dollars is SELLING the body parts of the babies it murders.

I know pretty shocking right?

And then later of course Palin posted a link on her Facebook page.

At first I, like I am sure most people, was a little horrified to think that this might be true.

But then I started to think about it and nothing about it makes any sense.

So when in doubt go to Snopes right? And they found all sorts of things about the story a little hinky. Including this:

An individual named David Daleiden has been widely credited as the “leader” of the Center for Medical Progress (The folks behind this "undercover video."). While Daleiden’s online footprint is minimal, a 2009 Claremont University article (penned by fellow conservative activist Chuck Johnson) reported: 

James O’Keefe is a friend of David Daleiden’s. O’Keefe and Hannah Giles have been going coast to coast documenting instances of ACORN employees willingly giving advice on how to avoid paying taxes and shielding a would be pimp (running for congress) and a prostitutent from the watchful eye of the law. They’ve brought their investigation to New York City, Washington D.C., and Baltimore. 

For most of us the very fact that the person behind this "investigation" is an associate of the widely discredited James O'Keefe is probably enough for us to dismiss this whole thing out of hand.

Snopes also linked to this press release from Planned Parenthood: 

Statement from Planned Parenthood on New Undercover Video Statement from Eric Ferrero, Vice President of Communications, Planned Parenthood Federation of America: 

“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 at Planned Parenthood who have abortions are no different. At several of our health centers, we help patients who want to donate tissue for scientific research, and we do this just like every other high-quality health care provider does -- with full, appropriate consent from patients and under the highest ethical and legal standards. There is no financial benefit for tissue donation for either the patient or for Planned Parenthood. In some instances, actual costs, such as the cost to transport tissue to leading research centers, are reimbursed, which is standard across the medical field. 

“A well funded group established for the purpose of damaging Planned Parenthood’s mission and services has promoted a heavily edited, secretly recorded videotape that falsely portrays Planned Parenthood’s participation in tissue donation programs that support lifesaving scientific research. Similar false accusations have been put forth by opponents of abortion services for decades. These groups have been widely discredited and their claims fall apart on closer examination, just as they do in this case.” 

### 

Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable health care for women, men, and young people, as well as the nation’s largest provider of sex education. With approximately 700 health centers across the country, Planned Parenthood organizations serve all patients with care and compassion, with respect and without judgment. Through health centers, programs in schools and communities, and online resources, Planned Parenthood is a trusted source of reliable health information that allows people to make informed health decisions. We do all this because we care passionately about helping people lead healthier live.

Ahh, now that makes a lot more sense.

The website Little Green Footballs did a little more digging and found this:

Another highly dishonest section of the video shows a web order form for medical tissues (labeled “ACTUAL ORDER FORM” in big red letters), strongly implying that this is a Planned Parenthood ordering system. 

But in fact, this is from a website that’s unconnected to Planned Parenthood called “Stem Express.” 

The video tries to picture this as some kind of sinister on-demand ordering system for fetal organs, connected to Planned Parenthood — and this is totally false. In fact, it’s a highly reputable company that performs a vitally necessary service for medical research. 

And now this from Gawker:  

The video itself opens with a short clip of Planned Parenthood president Gloria Feldt that is edited to give the appearance of condemning the recorded conversation that follows. But the 20/20 segment on which Feldt appears is actually an investigation into abuses made by private sector “tissue and organ procurement companies.” And Feldt even went on to later affirm that “Planned Parenthood supports research using fetal tissue in accordance with legal and ethical guidelines and are deeply concerned about the attempt by some to profit from the humanitarian contributions of courageous women.” 

In other words, this is a case of words being taken grossly out of context. Planned Parenthood is doing nothing even remotely shady here, nor are they doing something they haven’t publicly discussed before on multiple occasions. The real question now, though, is who’s behind this whole campaign in the first place.

You know I would usually just write this off as more underhanded bullshit by conservatives, but this is an incredibly ugly and vicious attempt to smear an organization has provided extremely important services for women around the country for decades.

However I am by no means surprised to find these two right in the middle of a campaign to spread lies and attempt to destroy an organization that does so much good in the world.

Seriously there is no low that is too low for these nasty bitches these days.