I have received many questions about a video that allegedly shows abortion clinic staff playing with aborted babies like dolls (source: LifeNews, July 9, 2018). The video has gone viral again. I will not share the video or still images from it. It’s easy to find in case you haven’t seen it (and really want to check it out).
Here’s my response to the people who have asked:
Certain “extreme prolife” websites keep sharing this as real without any evidence. The source is unknown and has been like that since 2018. Without evidence or source, this should be labeled as a fake
I didn’t name LifeNews as one of the “extreme pro-life” websites before yesterday when they thought my choice of words was funny:
I used the term “extreme”, because the claims about this video are written in extreme style e.g. shocking, ghastly, large gash in the back of one baby’s neck. revolting and…
It is obvious these babies’ bodies are not models or dolls
LifeNews, July 9, 2018
According to LifeNews story, the video originated from a Facebook page called “Vídeos Mundo Curioso“. It’s no longer there, and clearly this Facebook page isn’t a reliable source. LifeNews is yet another unreliable source.
The video has been posted on YouTube several times as well. It seems both Facebook and YouTube have removed the videos.
What do we really know about this video? Not much:
- Source is unknown
- Date is unknown
- Place is unknown
- Context is unknown – you can’t say for sure it actually shows what LifeNews claims
Because currently there is no way of finding out any facts about this video, any claim saying it shows “doctors” or “abortion staff” playing with aborted babies like dolls is by definition fake news.
The video might be real, but we can’t know for sure what’s really happening and why, so it needs to be treated as unproven – or as a possible prank/hoax. Many people have noted the video could very well show dolls, and not babies. The video is of very bad quality: it is impossible to analyze it in detail.
Another possibility mentioned: training dolls for medical schools. I can’t rule out that possibility either.
In this kind of situation, nobody should claim the video is real or make conclusions about the content. The video should be dismissed and not shared. Those who share it as real, and even add their own background story like LifeNews, probably have their reasons to do so.
Don’t fall for this kind clickbait stories, no matter what you think about abortion. Some accounts share this story as propaganda, some for clicks, likes and follows (and money).
HoaxEye 