Bay Area Federal Judge Extends Order Blocking Anti-Abortion Group From Releasing Videos

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS / AP) -- A federal judge in San Francisco has extended a restraining order that blocks an anti-abortion group from releasing any recordings that it secretly gathered at annual meetings of an abortion providers' association.

U.S. District Judge William Orrick on Monday sided with claims by the National Abortion Federation and its members that they would suffer harassment, intimidation and even violence if the Center for Medical Progress was permitted to circulate the material.

The center last month released several secretly recorded videos that it claimed showed Planned Parenthood employees selling fetal tissue for profit, which is illegal.

The federation alleges that officers with the Center for Medical Progress infiltrated conferences by posing as fetal tissue buyers.

Orrick initially issued a temporary restraining order on Friday prohibiting the center from releasing recordings, names, addresses or dates from the meetings.