Court upholds gag order against release of undercover videos involving Planned Parenthood

A U.S. appeals court has upheld a gag order that prevents a pro-life group from releasing more undercover videos that purportedly shows Planned Parenthood employees selling fetal tissue for profit.

On Wednesday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld an injunction that barred Center for Medical Progress (CMP) from releasing the videos that were recorded at the gatherings of the National Abortion Federation, WRAL reported.

CMP leader David Daleiden claimed that the unreleased recordings show Planned Parenthood officials discussing criminal conduct.

The court panel argued that the videos do not show evidence of criminal activity and stated that the injunction "carefully balances the interests of NAF and law enforcement."

Daleiden described the court decision as an "attack on the First Amendment" and vowed to keep fighting the gag order.

Judge Consuelo Callahan dissented and said that law enforcement and state prosecutors should not be prevented from receiving undercover footage.

"I strongly disagree with my colleagues on the application of the preliminary injunction to law enforcement agencies. The injunction against Defendants sharing information with law enforcement agencies should be vacated because the public policy in favor of allowing citizens to report matters to law enforcement agencies outweighs NAF's rights to enforce a contract," Callahan wrote.

"I find no justification for not allowing Defendants to share the tapes with any law enforcement agency that is interested," she continued.

The appeals court decision came after California Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed 15 felony charges against Daleiden and another CMP leader, Sandra Merrit.

Becerra, who allegedly received campaign contributions from Planned Parenthood, accused the CMP leaders of breaking California's privacy law by filming their conversations with abortionists and others without their consent.

Similar charges were filed against Daleiden and Merrit in Texas last year, but the case was eventually dismissed.

On Wednesday, CMP released a new video showing a former Planned Parenthood employee talking about how she performs late-term abortions.

In the video, DeShawn Taylor, a former medical director of Planned Parenthood of Arizona, explained that abortionists are supposed to transport a fetus to the hospital if it "comes out with any signs of life."

When an undercover investigator asked whether there are any standard procedures for verifying signs of life, Taylor replied: "Well, the thing is, I mean the key is, you need to pay attention to who's in the room, right?"

Taylor stated in the video that she does elective abortions on healthy fetuses and pregnant women up to 24 weeks. She also allegedly admitted that Planned Parenthood does its best to obtain intact fetal organs to sell.