Congressional Committee Presses Ahead with Planned Parenthood Investigation

What did Cecile Richards know about partial-birth abortions and infants born alive, and when did she know it?

By Anika Smith Published on October 1, 2015

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce is pressing forward with the congressional investigation of Planned Parenthood, requesting additional information from the organization regarding its practice of “fetal tissue donation” after Center for Medical Progress sting videos showed Planned Parenthood officials discussing the sale of organs taken from aborted children, some of whom, if the testimony in the videos is accurate, still had their hearts beating, or “just fell out” of the womb before meeting their demise.

The committee’s letters to CEO Cecile Richards and several Planned Parenthood affiliates “demand answers from the national organization and several affiliates on the handling of and policies regarding fetal tissue, its cost, and how it is obtained.”

The letters are available here. The letter to the national Planned Parenthood office requests “all communications and memoranda relating to or involving fetal tissue” from Cecile Richards, Deborah Nucatola, Deborah VanDerhei and nine other Planned Parenthood officials.

In the letter, the Committee makes clear they are not satisfied with the answers they’ve been given so far regarding Planned Parenthood’s fetal tissue donation program:

PPFA has not produced any evidence regarding how affiliates are required to account for reimbursement costs related to fetal tissue donation. … there is little evidence to date that PPFA carefully monitors or oversees affiliates’ fetal tissue donation programs.

The leaders also sent letters to Planned Parenthood Pacific Southwest, Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, Planned Parenthood Northern California, Planned Parenthood Orange and San Bernadino Counties, Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, and Planned Parenthood Greater Washington and North Idaho.

The letters to Planned Parenthood affiliates ask for “all documents and information used [by the affiliate] to determine appropriate reimbursement costs for donating fetal tissue,” “all documents related to research bonuses and/or incentives for employees to encourage participation” and “the maximum gestational age at which [each affiliate] performs abortions.”

This is information that could lead to criminal charges.

An Oversight Committee hearing earlier this week included Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards insisting she was “proud” of Planned Parenthood’s fetal tissue donation program. She also defended Dr. Deborah Nucatola, Planned Parenthood’s Senior Director of Medical Services, whom she described as providing “compassionate care.” We also learned that Planned Parenthood had revenue in excess of $127M for 2013— suggesting they hardly need the $60M that Congressional Republicans were proposing to cut from federal funds directed to the abortion giant.

 

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