A reporter who recently sent a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Department of Health and Human Services soliciting documents concerning the Planned Parenthood doctor caught on tape touting the sale of aborted baby parts was denied expedited information because the controversy is not a "breaking news story of general public interest."
The Federalist reported that Mary Hasson, who in a recent article for the publication confirmed that the federal government had paid the Planned Parenthood’s Dr. Deborah Nucatola for advice on "health baby births," sent a FOIA request to the government agency in order to obtain all documents and communications related to its payment to the top doctor.
Hasson also wrote to the agency’s FOIA office insisting that the request be expedited, asserting, "The public has a right to know of any federal monies going to Dr. Nucatola in light of the video ... that includes remarks by Dr. Nucatola that raise questions about whether federal laws may have been violated regarding patients’ informed consent for fetal tissue, and conflict of interest."
In secretly-recorded footage released by the Center for Medical Progress last week, Nucatola is seen discussing the sale of heart, liver and other body parts from aborted fetuses.
A second video has since emerged of a Planned Parenthood official identified as Dr. Mary Gatter also discussing the sale of fetal tissue, talking about using a "less crunchy" technique in order to keep body parts intact and asking a woman posing as a buyer to name her price for said tissue.
In her expedited request, Hasson argued that immediate response is necessary "because of planned or pending Congressional hearings and the public’s demand for transparency on this issue."
In its response, HHS denied the request to expedite information on the grounds that the Planned Parenthood controversy is not "a breaking news story of general public interest."
"In order to meet second prong of the compelling need standard, the requested information must be the type of information that has a particular value that will be lost if not disseminated quickly, and ordinarily refers to a breaking news story of general public interest," the government agency wrote.
The Planned Parenthood videos have generated consistent national attention in addition to prompting a dialogue regarding the taxpayer-funded organization’s abortion practices.
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have been forced to respond to the controversy, many Republicans demanding the federal government defund Planned Parenthood and some Democrats accusing the Center for Medical Progress of possibly violating federal and state laws.
House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) has demanded hearings be held on the "gruesome" abortion practices. Attorney General Loretta Lynch also said Wednesday that the Department of Justice will review all information surrounding the videos.