Three secret videos released by the anti-abortion group Center for Medical Progress show Planned Parenthood officials not just talking about selling aborted fetal tissues but also close-ups of fetal tissue in a Planned Parenthood lab. Now there are reports the organization is selling body parts such as kidneys, hearts and other organs from aborted fetuses.
The latter is not only disgusting and barbaric, it is a violation of federal law.
Republican have filed legislation – led by U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and co-sponsored by U.S. Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., and 15 other GOP senators – that would defund Planned Parenthood. Under the legislation, the organization would no longer receive federal funds. It currently receives $540 million. Instead, that money would go to federally backed community health centers across the country.
Planned Parenthood should never receive one more dollar from the U.S. taxpayer, regardless of one’s position on abortion. The selling of fetal tissue and organs is illegal, and our hard-earned money shouldn’t continue to go to a group that has allegedly committed this illegal activity.
Defunding this organization that crossed the line based on its own words in these videos is the right approach by Republicans in Congress. Several moderate House Democrats have said they would support the legislation, and at least three to four Democrat senators seemed to be lined up to vote for the legislation as well. It is no surprise some congressional Democrats have called this an attack on women.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Republicans aren’t trying to take away a woman’s right to choose, as there are other places in this country to have an abortion besides Planned Parenthood. All the legislation says is that the organization should be defunded after its officials admitted on camera that they were selling aborted fetal tissue and organs.
No organization that receives federal funding should be involved in illegal activity, which is all the more reason to defund this organization immediately.
Even Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, a well-known pro-choice advocate, called the videos “disturbing” and said there should be a national investigation into that practice.
One would think more Democrats would be appalled at what they watched in the videos, but some are calling for an investigation into those who shot the video.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced plans to investigate the group that produced undercover videos showing the Planned Parenthood employees admitting that they sell organs and fetal tissue.
We thought the DOJ was supposed to investigate criminal activity and not in a selective way. That’s how it worked under previous administrations and worked quite well for that matter, but this DOJ is very politicalized. You would think the DOJ would care more about investigating alleged violations of federal law involving selling body parts and fetal tissue than trying to investigate those who exposed the practice.
It’s clear the DOJ cares nothing about Planned Parenthood allegedly breaking the law and is hellbent on persecuting someone or a group that simply exposed truths about the organization.
We were also glad to see two House committees conducting investigations into Planned Parenthood, and lawmakers have threatened to subpoena a Planned Parenthood doctor filmed discussing alleged fetal tissue sales.
If subpoenaed, this doctor will likely take the Fifth Amendment right and not provide any information.
A vote is now set in Congress before lawmakers return home for the August recess. We urge Democrats who find these videos reprehensible to cross party lines and vote with Republicans to end funding for this group.
This isn’t an attack on women, as some Democrats have suggested, rather it is an effort to rein an organization whose actions a majority of Americans rightly find highly disturbing.
You could argue that those who vote not to defund this organization obviously condone their behavior, which is truly sad and raises questions about their values.
Bowling Green Daily News
Bowling Green Daily News Editorial Team