Anti-abortion groups latch on to undercover video to push Planned Parenthood defunding bill

A host of anti-abortion groups are latching onto a new undercover video to demand that Congress pass legislation that would bar federal funding for Planned Parenthood.

Live Action, the conservative media group behind the video, is believed to have visited at least 11 health centers in six states in its attempt to capture incriminating footage. Planned Parenthood alerted the suspicious behavior to federal authorities earlier this month.

"When Planned Parenthood learns of an operation that exploits young women, we vigilantly work with law enforcement authorities to uncover and stop this abhorrent activity," Planned Parenthood spokesman Stuart Schear said in a Jan. 24 statement. "Planned Parenthood's top priority is the health and safety of our patients and the health and well-being of women and teens across the country, and we have been in contact with federal and local authorities to identify the persons involved in these visits."

Still, anti-abortion groups think the footage is damning enough to stand on its own. 

The abridged 11-minute video appears to show the office manager of a Planned Parenthood clinic in New Jersey helping actors posing as a pimp and a prostitute. The office manager is seen giving advice on how the pimp can avoid getting into trouble with the law, such as lying about sex workers' ages if they're 14 or under because the clinic would be obligated to report more information to the authorities. 

"The exploitive roots and track record of Planned Parenthood is a largely untold story that now cannot be ignored," Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, said in a joint statement along with other anti-abortion activists. "The horror of the logic behind Planned Parenthood's founding has come to roost in this modern form: it is the primary partner of those who degrade and exploit women."

SBA and others are using the video as ammunition as they lobby Congress to prohibit taxpayer support for abortion providers under Title X family planning grants; legislation to do so has been introduced by Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) and Sen. David Vitter (R-La.). 

Planned Parenthood is estimated to receive about $350 million in federal funds every year.

Planned Parenthood on Tuesday distanced itself from its New Jersey employee.

"The behavior of our employee, as portrayed on the video, if accurate, violates PPCNJ policies, as well as our core values of protecting the welfare of minors and complying with the law, and appropriate action is being taken,"  Phyllis Kinsler, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Central New Jersey, said in a statement.

In an earlier interview, NARAL Pro-Choice Policy Director Donna Crane told The Hill that the legislation would "cripple family planning services - not necessarily abortion services but contraceptive services in this country."

Other groups that have lent their voice to the defunding effort include the Family Research Council, Americans United for Life and Concerned Women for America.

This post was updated at 12:45 p.m. with a Planned Parenthood statement