Planned Parenthood in NJ: Rhetoric is breeding violence, but we won’t back down

Long before Robert Lewis Dear opened fire at a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood, the national organization had a target on it.

For a long time, to opponents of the organization, its name has been synonymous with abortion — though the group says abortion services only constitute 3 percent of the services it provides.

But the rhetoric against the group has been stepped up in the past few months, after videos released by the The Center for Medical Progress led to allegations Planned Parenthood was selling fetus parts — allegations that have prompted a House probe and pointed condemnations from Republican presidential candidates at recent debates.

And while authorities haven't yet ascribed a motive to Dear's rampage, he reportedly told authorities "no more baby parts" after being arrested — though as part of a rambling statement that investigators continuing to parse. It's not clear if an anti-abortion stance was his leading motivator.

But even if it's a scary time to be a Planned Parenthood worker or client, the group's New Jersey locations are taking on a resolute tone.

"We have, for a long time now, had strong security measures in place," said Casey Olesko, communications manager for Planned Parenthood of Central and Greater Northern New Jersey. "It's not going to prevent us from providing the care that folks in our community need."

She said Planned Parenthood has "seen an alarming increase in rhetoric. We just feel that it is breeding this violence."

Among the most notable — and debated — statements made about Planned Parenthood in recent months was that of GOP presidential candidate Carly Fiorina, who at a recent presidental debate said in reference to the videos, "Anyone who has watched this video tape — I dare Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, to watch these tapes. Watch a fully formed fetus on the table, its heart beating, its legs kicking, while someone says we have to keep it alive to harvest its brain."

In the CMP video, a former worker for StemExpress, a biomedical research company, describes seeing a fully formed fetus' heart beating.

According to a CNN fact-check of the debate, while a version of the video does appear to show a fully formed fetus on an operating table, it's not part of the CMP sting video itself — rather an addition made by another anti-abortion group. It's unclear where the extra footage comes from, and Planned Parenthood has denied it's from one of its facilities.

Planned Parenthood has also pushed back against allegations it's selling baby parts — saying it only recoups routine expenses for donating fetal tissue for medical research.

Olesko said she can't comment on statements made by candidates or take a political position, but "we've just seen this rhetoric increase in the past couple of months."

"We know the American people don't stand for this," she said. "Our doors are open. ... we're not backing down."

In a written statement from the organization, the Central and Greater Northern New Jersey chapter said its thoughts and prayers were with the families of the people harmed in the Colorado shooting.

"Our top priority is the safety of our patients and staff. Here in New Jersey and across the country, Planned Parenthood has strong security measures in place to ensure that our health centers are safe, supportive, welcoming environments for all people to get the high-quality health care they need," the group wrote.

The group continued: "Our doors are open today, and they will be open tomorrow. Our health centers across the state are seeing patients under normal operating hours. "

On Fox News Sunday, Fiorina offered her own criticism of Planned Parenthood — and those who blame Dear's attack on anti-abortionists.

"The vast majority of Americans agree, what Planned Parenthood is doing is wrong," she said. "So what I would say to anyone who tries to link this terrible tragedy to anyone who opposes abortion or opposes the sale of body parts is, this is typical left-wing tactics."

— Reports by the Associated Press were used in this story.