Skip to main content

We are urgently seeking 500 new Life Defenders (monthly supporters) before the end of October to help save babies from abortion 365 days a year. Your first gift as a Life Defender today will be DOUBLED. Click here to make your monthly commitment.

Live Action LogoLive Action
Live Action News Placeholder

Statement from Lila Rose: Planned Parenthood bill jails MSM journalists who record undercover footage of abuses

Icon of a microphonePress·By LVA

Statement from Lila Rose: Planned Parenthood bill jails MSM journalists who record undercover footage of abuses

– Amended bill does NOT shield media from prosecution –

ARLINGTON, VA (September 1, 2016) — Late last night, the California Senate passed a Planned Parenthood-backed bill that makes it a crime for investigative journalists and others to secretly record and distribute undercover footage of conversations of abortion workers.  Planned Parenthood could attempt to pass similar bans in other states.

Dear Reader,

Every day in America, more than 2,800 preborn babies lose their lives to abortion.

That number should break our hearts and move us to action.

Ending this tragedy requires daily commitment from people like you who refuse to stay silent.

Millions read Live Action News each month — imagine the impact if each of us took a stand for life 365 days a year.

Right now, we’re urgently seeking 500 new Life Defenders (monthly donors) to join us before the end of October. And thanks to a generous $250,000 matching grant, your first monthly gift will be DOUBLED to help save lives and build a culture that protects the preborn.

Will you become one of the 500 today? Click here now to become a Live Action Life Defender and have your first gift doubled.

Together, we can end abortion and create a future where every child is cherished and every mother is supported.

The bill was amended Tuesday to exclude media outlets from prosecution if they only distribute footage.  However, if they record the undercover footage themselves, they can be prosecuted.

Following is a statement from Lila Rose, president and founder of national pro-life organization Live Action:

“For years, investigative journalists have recorded and exposed Planned Parenthood facilities across the country covering up for sex traffickers, failing to report child sexual abusers, and trafficking in baby body parts. Instead of being compelled to be more transparent with the public, taxpayer-funded Planned Parenthood wants to jail journalists and whistleblowers who record and distribute footage that shows it potentially breaking the law.

“The California Newspaper Publishers Association — not an organization that’s necessarily sympathetic to the pro-life cause – said even the newly amended version of the bill still ‘potentially criminalizes speech.’ Planned Parenthood is brazenly attacking the First Amendment, aided and abetted by California legislators who are protecting a major campaign donor.

“When the public funds half of Planned Parenthood’s operations, it has a right to know that its money isn’t being used to break the law or commit abuses, and governments should be taking steps to make things more transparent, not less.  Americans understand that abortion is a grave act, and with Planned Parenthood committing over 320,000 abortions each year, investigative journalists and whistleblowers have been the ones exposing the many abuses that often accompany it.

“This bill doesn’t protect women; instead, it puts Planned Parenthood above the law and lets it hide potentially illegal and abusive activity from public view.  If this bill becomes law in California, Planned Parenthood could attempt to pass similar bans all over the country.”

Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.

Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.

Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!

Read Next

Read NextUS Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., testifies before a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hearing on the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2026 for the Department of Health and Human Services, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, May 14, 2025. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP)
Fact Checks

Fact Check: Was the FDA 'required' to approve the new generic abortion pill?

Madison Evans

·

Spotlight Articles