Planned Parenthood sued the Center for Medical Progress in federal court on Thursday over the group's undercover videos showing medical officials discussing the sale of fetal body parts.
The lawsuit, filed in federal district court in San Francisco, marks the first legal move Planned Parenthood has taken against the anti-abortion group,
The Hill reports.
Planned Parenthood is accusing the center and its founder, David Daleiden, of unlawful behavior for actions ranging from making secret recordings to trespassing.
The Center for Medical Progress, based in Irvine, Calif., has also violated the laws of three states, along with federal law, the lawsuit contends.
"Today, Planned Parenthood is going on the offense," Kathy Kneer, president of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, told reporters in a conference call, the Hill reports.
In response, CMP said in a statement: "Planned Parenthood is under investigation by the United States Congress and multiple law-enforcement agencies, while their business is drying up and the public is turning against their barbaric abortion for baby parts trade.
"Now, they are filing a frivolous lawsuit in retaliation for CMP's First Amendment investigative journalism that has done nothing more than tell the truth about Planned Parenthood's lawless operations.
"This last-ditch move of desperation is going to expose all of the sordid dealings of the California Planned Parenthood affiliates to the light of the legal system and the public will see them for the corrupt abortion and baby body parts profiteers that they really are," the center said.
CMP's 10 undercover videos have recorded discussions — sometimes in chilling detail — by Planned Parenthood staff on the sale of fetal tissue donated from abortions.
For instance, medical personnel have talked about selling such "fresh" body parts as eyes and reproductive parts, and expressed fears about any possible legal or media problems if the sales were discovered.
Planned Parenthood has consistently attacked the videos as part of a smear campaign.
The footage led Congress to vote earlier this month to strip Planned Parenthood of its federal funding — a move vetoed by President Barack Obama — and a special House committee has been formed to investigate the organization.
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