At least one member of Congress has taken a step beyond criticism and defunding of Planned Parenthood for its willingness to swap the body parts of unborn children for cash, urging a criminal investigation of the largest player in the abortion industry.
Meanwhile, a student organization is announcing a series of rallies across the nation to support a plan to cut taxpayer funding for the abortion-business behemoth.
“In addition to cutting funding for abortion providers, I strongly urge Congress to investigate the legality of the practices engaged in by Planned Parenthood,” U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., said Tuesday.
“The U.S. has strict laws against trafficking and selling human body parts. Additionally, the first of these videos seems to indicate that the abortion provider conducted partial-birth abortion to preserve organs for sale, which is illegal in the U.S.,” he said.
“I truly believe that every American, regardless of their stance on abortion, would be shaken to their core by these videos, which display an utter lack of human decency,” Meadows said. “I am deeply disturbed by these horrifying videos. I pray for the soul of our nation.”
Meadows’ comments came only hours after a new video was released by the Center for Medical Progress.
It shows another Planned Parenthood executive negotiating over compensation for “intact” baby pieces, noting she would like to have enough money to buy a Lamborghini.
Last week, CMP released a video of Planned Parenthood Medical Director Deborah Nucatola cavalierly discussing the sale of livers and other fetal organs obtained from altering late-second trimester abortion procedures. Her remarks sparked outrage, even from some abortion supporters, prompting Congress and several governors to begin investigating.
The second undercover video, made in February, features Mary Gatter, the president of the Planned Parenthood Medical Directors Council, talking with actors who say they represent a tissue procurement company.
“But, you know, the money is not important. But it has to be big enough that it makes it worthwhile for me,” Gatter says.
“It’s been years since I’ve talked about compensation, so let me just figure out what others are getting and if this is in the ballpark, that’s fine. If it’s still low, we can bump it up. I want a Lamborghini,” she says.
The video:
[jwplayer vbPjx8h2]
Meadows said he was signing on as a co-sponsor of H.R. 217, which would eliminate taxpayer funds for abortion providers.
Under Title X, Planned Parenthood of America has received $1.2 billion over a three-year period.
“I am appalled not only by the horrific content of these undercover videos, but also by the callous disregard for the sanctity of human life and the well-being of the mother demonstrated by these abortion providers. Not a single penny of taxpayer dollars should go toward an organization that engages in these unconscionable practices,” Meadows said.
It was Students for Life that announced a series of rallies set for 41 cities on July 28.
“The rallies are called #WomenBetrayed because Planned Parenthood has betrayed the very patients – women and their children – who they claim to care about and have compassion for,” the group announced.
Students for Life President Kristan Hawkins said: “Women are supposed to help and support other women – not use them for profit and sell the body parts of their prenatal children. Planned Parenthood gets a half a billion a year in taxpayer dollars. We are calling on every state and federal government to cut off those funds immediately and investigate Planned Parenthood for possible wrongdoing.”
What do YOU think? Why the silence on sale of aborted baby parts? Sound off in today’s WND poll
She noted Planned Parenthood had a net profit of $127 million in 2013-2014.
“Let them fundraise and support themselves like any other business in the country that isn’t deceiving women and making money off of taking the lives of the most vulnerable and selling their body parts,” he said.
Rally locations include Little Rock, Arkansas; Denver; Los Angeles; Sacramento, California; Washington; Honolulu; Chicago; Indianapolis; St. Louis; Albuquerque; Portland, Oregon; Nashville; Dallas; Houston; and Seattle.
Family Research Council President Tony Perkins called the newest revelations “beyond the pale.”
“The Republican leadership in Congress should move quickly to pass a moratorium on federal taxpayer funding to the billion-dollar abortion giant that derives nearly half of its money from American taxpayers,” he said.
“Taxpayers have been trying for years to distance themselves from Planned Parenthood, to no avail. The Obama administration has made it clear that nothing – not fraud, corruption, sexual abuse cover-ups, records falsifying or the retailing of human remains – will get in the way of its defense of Planned Parenthood. President Obama has yet to explain why religious charities face the loss of government contracts for holding pro-life views while tax dollars continue flowing to an organization under investigation for trafficking in the body parts of babies.”
Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, said, the video shows “abhorrent” behavior.
“These videos make it clear to any but the most calloused that the negotiation is not about ’tissue’ but about uncrushed baby body parts. This is clearly about profit from trafficking in dismembered baby organs –which is illegal,” he said.
“It is also abundantly clear that these high level leaders in Planned Parenthood are concerned about preserving organs and parts of an unborn child with no thought at all for the pain and suffering of the child whose parts they are crushing as they pull off limbs and other parts as they extract the child. Planned Parenthood needs to be held accountable for the grotesque actions of its leaders.
Gohmert said it is “utterly despicable that an executive at Planned Parenthood would cruelly joke about the remains of precious lives by haggling over their body parts using terms such as – ‘lowball’ and her desire for a ‘Lamborghini.’”
“These are human lives – not specimens; and this group should be called out for what it’s doing – the hideous collecting of revenue for the babies they destroy for their sellable parts. That is not only abominable; it is criminal. If America does not wake up soon to its decadence, we will go beyond the point of being salvageable as a society.”
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who already has begun a congressional inquiry of Planned Parenthood, said he plans to file an amendment on the currently pending highway bill in Congress to “eliminate all federal funding for Planned Parenthood.”
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif, said Tuesday Congress could see amendments to strip Planned Parenthood of funding during the fall government funding debate.
Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, said he anticipates there will be a Planned Parenthood amendment bill being considered this week.
Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Thune of South Dakota said senators will “offer amendments on whatever vehicles are coming across the Senate floor to deal with that: defund it or deal with it in some other fashion.”
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., also has promised to use all tools at hand to work toward the same goal.
Meanwhile, Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., told the Washington Examiner that even though he had not seen the videos, he refuses to believe Planned Parenthood “is harvesting anything.”
And Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., read the following from a prepared statement Tuesday:
“These politically motivated videos raise questions, but nothing I’ve seen indicates Planned Parenthood violated federal law. These edited videos should not take away from the important work that Planned Parenthood does on behalf of women.”
Asked if we would stop any defunding efforts, Reid replied, “I will do my best to stop that.”
In 2014 alone, Planned Parenthood donated $404,907 to House Democrats and $2,823 to House Republicans, according to OpenSecrets.org. The group also donated $181,188 to Senate Democrats.
WND has contacted Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s campaign about the issue but has received no response from Clinton or her campaign staffers.
Clinton and President Obama are among the top recipients of Planned Parenthood contributions, according to InfluenceExplorer.com.
WND asked Clinton’s campaign the following questions:
- Are you opposed to Planned Parenthood’s apparent harvesting of body parts of aborted babies and selling them?
- As a top recipient of Planned Parenthood political contributions, does it concern you that these proceeds from dead babies might be helping to fund your presidential campaign?
- Will you continue to accept those political contributions even after these new revelations?
A spokesman for CMP said, “Planned Parenthood’s leadership admits they harvest aborted baby parts and receive payments for this. Planned Parenthood’s only denial is that they make money off of baby parts, but that is a desperate lie that becomes more and more untenable as CMP reveals Planned Parenthood’s business operations and statements that prove otherwise.”
WND reported last week the first undercover video already was having impact.
See the original video that exposed the scandal:
[jwplayer 7pzwagZg]
The full, unedited video of Nucatola, from which the shorter version was taken, is here:
[jwplayer j8qcBNdv]
Related stories:
Baby-selling Planned Parenthood doc: ‘I want a Lamborghini’
‘Baby parts’ orders show requests for brains, heads
Cruz grills feds, private firms on abortions
Tax cash to Planned Parenthood targeted in body-parts fight
Abortion body parts: Not just for medical research
Planned Parenthood throws woman caught on video under bus
Planned Parenthood advocates horrified by baby-parts sale
Limbaugh erupts over ‘sickest, most evil’ thing
Mutilated babies storm into presidential race
Top abortionist confesses: I sell dead babies
