Yesterday, Live Action Films posted the following video to YouTube:
Planned Parenthood Falsely Says Abortion Pictures Are "not Real" – Click here for more free videos
It has since been removed by YouTube with no detailed explanation other than a “violation of the YouTube Community Guidelines”.
Here are YouTube’s community guidelines that could be considered relevant to this particular video:
The world is a dangerous place. Sometimes people do get hurt and it’s inevitable that these events may be documented on YouTube. However, it’s not okay to post violent or gory content that’s primarily intended to be shocking, sensational or disrespectful. If a video is particularly graphic or disturbing, it should be balanced with additional context and information. For instance, including a clip from a slaughter house in a video on factory farming may be appropriate. However, stringing together unrelated and gruesome clips of animals being slaughtered in a video may be considered gratuitous if its purpose is to shock rather than illustrate.
Now, the Live Action video does indeed show graphic images. However, there is additional context and information, as well as ample warnings about the gruesome images you were about to see.
Live Action president Lila Rose issued the following statement:
Without offering any specific explanation, the video-sharing site YouTube has removed a new video by the student group Live Action that shows dishonest counseling practices at Planned Parenthood. The video first plays undercover footage of a Planned Parenthood counselor from Tucson, AZ telling a patient that images of aborted fetuses “are not real” and then shows photographs of a completed abortion and documentation of their authenticity.
Lila Rose, 20-year-old president of Live Action, calls on YouTube to re-instate the video in accordance with its own guidelines: “Since the video we posted does not violate any terms of use, we expect YouTube to re-instate it immediately. YouTube’s own ‘Community Guideline Tips’ advise that intense or disturbing imaging should be ‘balanced with additional context and information,’ which is exactly what Live Action has done.” YouTube has removed videos posted by Live Action without explanation before, including videos showing Planned Parenthood employees caught on tape sympathizing with donors with racist agendas to encourage the abortion of black babies.
Live Action’s videos use undercover tactics to expose fraudulent practices in the abortion industry and are similar to other “sting” investigations which journalists often post on YouTube. The most recent video is part of Live Action’s Mona Lisa Project, which documents abusive practices in Planned Parenthood clinics across the nation. Footage released to date has caught on hidden camera six Planned Parenthood clinics in three states ignoring their mandatory reporting responsibilities for statutory rape and protecting adult-child sexual relationships. Recently the Tennessee State Legislature used undercover footage from Live Action to help divert nearly $1 million in taxpayer subsidies from Planned Parenthood clinics, and in California, the Orange County Board of Supervisors voted to end a nearly $300,000 contract with the abortion provider.
“New media is vital to educating the public about the shocking realities of abortion practice in America,” Rose emphasizes. “Our videos show hard truths about the abortion industry that must be seen and dealt with. Lawmakers and their constituents are recognizing this, but YouTube does everyone a disservice when they cooperate with Planned Parenthood in burying the evidence of abuse.”
Contact YouTube and ask them why the video was removed, and then ask them to reinstate it. There’s no reason for this video to be censored… except, perhaps, for the fact that YouTube is owned by Google, a notoriously left-leaning company. Could it be that they’re just trying to protect Planned Parenthood? Who knows? Whatever the motive, it’s not right.
Give them a call or shoot them an e-mail. Remember to be polite, and see if we can help Live Action get this video back up and running.
YouTube web form (select video removal)
YouTube, LLC
901 Cherry Ave.
San Bruno, CA 94066
USA
Phone: 650-253-0000 or 650-343-2960
Fax: 650-253-0001
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Ugh. Those ARE fake images, mostly. Those are some of the same ‘abortion’ images that have been floating around for ages. Generally they’re of miscarried fetuses. A couple were done with abortion techniques that fell out of favor decades ago. They are there for the shock value. That’s exactly why. They are resorting to fear and gore to scare people out of abortions. (source: 10+ years in women’s health)
I’m sorry, but it’s an absolute fact that the anti abortion folks use fake images to try to scare people away from it. What the Planned Parenthood staffer said is very true.
Youtube is well within its rights to remove her video. It’s not censorship. They are not a government organization. If she doesn’t like it, she’s within her rights to take the video elsewhere. That’s what the free market dictates. She can host it herself on her own website too. Youtube should not be forced to host her videos. That’s what the Republicans today want, right? Free market? More choice? Less government? That’s what she has going on right now. It would be hypocritical of her to say anything otherwise.
amanda – just how do you KNOW that these are fake? Scare people away – you betcha’ – yes, free market, less gov’t, but not murder of innocent lives.
Amanda, before you go back to your job at Planned Parenthood, read this. The child is still dead, no matter what “technique” was used.
Miscarried fetuses are not torn to pieces.