Researchers at a public university are trying to suppress documents relating to Planned Parenthood’s fetal body part scandal in federal court, according to a suit.
Planned Parenthood supplies researchers at the University of Washington’s Birth Defects Research Center with body parts obtained during abortions. Pro-life activists led by the Center for Medical Progress’ David Daleiden filed records requests about these practices. A federal judge granted a temporary injunction on the information after receiving a request filed by several people associated with the lab to have information redacted from the publicly available documents.
Daleiden’s attorney, Peter Breen, who is also general counsel for the non-profit Thomas More Society, said that such a move threatens government transparency.
"The people have a right to know how their government is run. The plaintiffs here work at a taxpayer-funded state university, and their work is subject to the same sunshine and open records laws as any other government employee," Breen said in a release.
The university has filed a brief with the court in support of the researchers, some of whom are not government employees. A university spokesman said that while it supports the Freedom of Information Act, it is also concerned with employee safety. He said that redacting names would not hinder the public’s right to know.
"Nobody’s suggesting we don’t give those [records] out. This is a specific desire from plaintiffs to have certain names removed. Their concerns are about safety," he said. "Our position is we understand their safety concerns. We think they’re legitimate."
Breen is asking the court to lift the temporary injunction and dismissed the request for a permanent injunction as a "frivolous lawsuit." He argues that the use of taxpayer dollars at a public university entitles the public to any and all documents relating to the lab’s partnership with Planned Parenthood.
"The abortion clinic and fetal tissue personnel who brought this lawsuit should not be allowed to prevent the people of the State of Washington from monitoring their government’s involvement in the national controversy over aborted fetal body parts," Breen said in a statement. "These plaintiffs seek to stop release of records owned by the public, but the Washington Public Records Act requires transparency and openness, not obfuscation and delay."
The case comes 13 months after Daleiden began releasing undercover videotapes showing senior Planned Parenthood executives, abortion doctors, and organ procurement specialists talking candidly about the sale of body parts. The videos sparked public outcry and several investigations by federal agencies and congressional committees.
Planned Parenthood, which did not return a request for comment, has denied any wrongdoing in its practices, though it halted organ harvesting following the release of videotapes. Stem Express, a former buyer of organs from Planned Parenthood, filed multiple lawsuits against Daleiden and the Center for Medical Progress to block release of additional footage.
The judge is expected to rule on Friday.