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DNC Speaker Uses the A* Word on Stage

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The Democratic party's position on a woman's right to choose whether to continue or terminate a pregnancy is no secret. The party unabashedly proclaims itself pro-choice on women's productive rights.

And its coziness with the abortion lobby is on prominent display at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

On Tuesday, Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards stood on center stage and uttered the word "abortion," though many Democrats avoid saying it in public.

Contrast that with last week's Republican convention in Cleveland.

Last Wednesday, the Family Research Council partnered with the Susan B. Anthony List to host a luncheon called "Celebrating Life & Values," where pro-life leaders hailed the Republican platform as "the most pro-life" party platform in history.

The Center for Medical Progress' David Daleiden was one of the featured speakers.

Afterwards, in an exclusive interview with CBN News, Daleiden explained why he thought the undercover videos, which show Planned Parenthood officials discussing the sale of aborted baby body parts, changed the conversation about abortion in America.

He also said he believes they will play a critical role in the outcome of November's general elections.

"I think that you can see that reflected probably in the party platforms of both major parties," he said. "You certainly see the resonance that the videos have had with most Americans when you see now that they're mentioned in the Republican party platform, which is pretty surprising and humbling and unprecedented."

A year after the release of the center's videos and months of enduring the legal fallout, Daleiden offered an upbeat assessment of the toll the controversy has taken on him.

"Personally, I've never been better," Daleiden said. "Even a year later nothing was more difficult than actually doing the undercover work itself."

Daleiden sounded equally optimistic when he described where things stood legally a week before a judge would dismiss the last remaining felony charge against him and his professional partner, Sandra Merritt. All charges were dropped against them on Wednesday.

"All of the different lawsuits as well as the other legal actions brought by Planned Parenthood and their allies and their political cronies, I feel like all of those are moving in the right direction," he said.

"I think we've really turned a corner, because even some of the people who would normally be in Planned Parenthood's corner are realizing that all of these different legal actions are based on this discredited legal theory that somehow undercover work counts as a form of fraud," he said.

Daleiden defended the center's investigation, arguing that it wasn't motivated by money or property.

"We're trying to get information, and we're telling the truth about what was actually going on," he explained. "That's protected by the First Amendment. That's not any kind of fraud."

The pro-life activist also told CBN News how his group's undercover work has crippled the nation's largest provider of abortions.

"Planned Parenthood has never been more on the defensive in their 100 years of history than they are today," he said. "Planned Parenthood's client numbers are down. Their abortion numbers are down. Their clinic revenue is down. They're closing their clinics across the country, including some of their abortion clinics."

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About The Author

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John
Jessup

John Jessup serves as the main news anchor for CBN, based at the network's news bureau in Washington, D.C. He joined CBN News in September 2003, starting as a national correspondent and then covering the Pentagon and Capitol Hill. His work in broadcast news has earned him several awards in reporting, producing, and coordinating election coverage. While at CBN, John has reported from several places, including Moore, Oklahoma, after the historic EF5 tornado and parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas devastated by Hurricane Katrina. He also traveled to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, during the height