PP video group used pic of stillborn-- w/o familypermission

[NewOrleans]

This is from Think Progress, so I tried to cut out the blah blah blah stuff and just left relevant parts.


he latest video intended to cast Planned Parenthood in an unflattering light relies on images of fetuses that were not actually aborted at Planned Parenthood clinics.

The Center for Medical Progress, a right-wing group engaged in a long-term video strategy to discredit the national women’s health organization, released its seventh video on Wednesday. Like several videos before it, the newest footage relies heavily on an interview with Holly O’Donnell, a procurement technician who briefly worked for a biological company that partners with some abortion clinics to collect fetal tissue donations.

At several points, O’Donnell discusses the process of procuring fetal organs — which can be used to help advance scientific research, if abortion patients choose to donate the material after their procedure — before the camera cuts to photographs of fetuses. Although the video insinuates those fetuses are connected to the collection process that O’Donnell is describing, they’re actually recycled photographs from other sources, as RH Reality Check reports.

One of the photos (displayed at the video’s nine-minute mark) isn’t an aborted fetus at all. It’s actually a stillborn fetus prematurely delivered at 19 weeks.

The woman who took that photo, Alexis (or “Lexi”) Fretz, initially published it on her blog — where she also shared the story of grieving her stillborn son, whom she named Walter Joshua. In a Facebook post, Fretz said that she did not give permission for the Center for Medical Progress to use Walter’s photo, though she does not plan to take legal action against the group.

By Thursday morning, the description for the Center for Medical Progress’ YouTube video included a note at the top clarifying that the “image of Walter Fretz at 19 weeks” comes from a 2014 Daily Mail article about Lexi Fretz’s photographs of her stillborn child.

[bugandbibs]

How awful for that family

[shortcake2675]

I hid a friend from my newsfeed this week over that video and now I'm sick to my stomach again. How incredibly awful.

[turboteal]

That's awful. I had a friend from high school posted a rant about the latest video just a couple hours ago, and I was trying to decide if I should respond, unfriend, or unfollow. I decided to watch the video and I was confused about those photos, because they looked to me like a picture after a miscarriage (baby has an umbilical clamp like we use, I work in L&D/postpartum). I was guessing it was 18 weeks. I guess it shouldn't be surprising that the terrible people creating deceptive videos would steal other people's pictures to use for their own gain. Ugh.

[turboteal]

Aug 21, 2015 0:37:25 GMT -5 shortcake2675 said:

I hid a friend from my newsfeed this week over that video 

I just did the same.

[lexus]

And this is why we don't put our stillborn son's pictures online. I wish she would press charges or something.

[KateAggie]

There aren't words for what this would do to me. That is beyond vile.

[darnkatz]

That makes me sick to my stomach. They are exploiting someone's dead child for their own gain.

[laurenpetro]

This isn't the first time someone used that picture?!?!!?!??!

Fuck people.

[shanbrite2]

I wish they would pursue legal action. Sick fucks. I can't even imagine how violating that must feel.

[ttt]

And these people want to pretend they have some kind of moral high ground. Absolutely revolting. That poor family - I can't even imagine.

[ESF]

Aug 23, 2015 11:56:05 GMT -5 shanbrite2 said:

I wish they would pursue legal action. Sick fucks. I can't even imagine how violating that must feel.

seriously. This is so disgusting.