Bret Baier's Special Report is supposedly part of Fox's "fair & balanced" programming. Yet, on Baier's Tuesday night's show, Peter Doocy told the big, fat lie that Planned Parenthood is "selling" "baby" "parts." One would expect that sort of pious baloney on Fox's "opinion" shows - but Special Report? Say it ain't so....
Peter Doocy, son of Roger Ailes' mentally challenged "attack poodle" Steve Doocy, immediately showed us that when it comes to pushing "pro-life" agitprop, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. As the lead in to his homily about the discredited sting videos, done by a shady anti-choice group, he quipped that the abortion debate is "usually when life starts, but tonight the debate is how much for this body part." He immediately played the part of the video in which the Planned Parenthood "hoped" to make enough money to buy a Lamborghini. He didn't play her immediately saying "no," after the joking comment. Naturally, he didn't mention that she was discussing compensation for the donation of fetal tissue - something that is legal and routinely done.
In setting up the premise that Planned Parenthood is doing something wrong, he explained that "the laughter filled lunch" was filmed by actors from the Center for Medical Progress "who wanted to share with the world the way Planned Parenthood operates behind the scenes." Naturally, he didn't mention that they are virulently anti-choice and appear to be connected to anti-choice zealot Lila Rose.
Video of Fox fave, sweet lil "Concerned Woman for America," Penny Nance was played during which Nance whined about "the tone" used by the evil Planned Parenthood rep when she was "selling dead baby parts." (Note how Nance used emotionally charged "baby" and advanced the LIE that Planned Parenthood "sells" baby "parts.") In reinforcing the GOP meme that Planned Parenthood should be defunded, she cited "the fact" that is supported by taxpayers. (Many of whom support the organization but whatever...)
Doocy mentioned that the Planned Parenthood rep said that abortions could be done in such a way as to "preserve high priced baby parts." He then read a statement from Planned Parenthood in which they assert that they don't profit from tissue samples. This was followed by commentary from radical anti-choice Catholic priest, Fr. Frank Pavone, whose order, Priests for Life, is solely dedicated to working towards criminalizing abortion and, short of that, harassing women accessing abortion care. Pavone suggested that Planned Parenthood is selling "body parts" and "changing" the abortion procedure to get "better body parts." (Pavone didn't say that the unedited video shows that "any change in procedure is done pursuant to medical advice without additional risk to the patient.") He made the false claim that Planned Parenthood hasn't answered questions about this and, instead, are "attacking" the makers of the video.
In bringing home the propaganda bacon, Doocy said that he "searched the Planned Parenthood website for fetal, baby parts prices but can't find them because until these videos came out, these transactions [he looked furtively to the side] have been well kept secrets."
Wow. Two anti-choice zealots get several minutes to pimp their lies while only a short comment from Planned Parenthood is read. There is no background on the Center for Medical Progress and no mention that the fetal tissue is done with the permission of the woman having the abortion. No mention was made of how fetal tissue has been instrumental in developing vaccines such as the one for polio. Nope, it's all about how Planned Parenthood "sells" "baby" "parts." But Special Report is "fair & balanced" so it's all good...