Planned Parenthood’s Brutality Criticized at Hearing

By Wendy Wright | September 10, 2015

“There is no act too brutal” to stop defending Planned Parenthood, a congressman said of his colleagues.

Rep. Randy Forbes was stunned at the Democratic congressmen and their witness testifying at a congressional hearing on the barbaric acts committed by abortion provider Planned Parenthood.

As Republican congressmen described abortion procedures that tear limbs off babies, or partially deliver then remove the brains, Priscilla Smith stuck by her support of abortion and Planned Parenthood. The witness, a Yale professor and former lawyer with the Center for Reproductive Rights who defended partial-birth abortion, said abortion is “not inhumane.”

Her position that “tearing limbs” off babies “doesn’t go too far, isn’t too brutal” defies imagination, said Rep. Forbes.

“If abortion is about women’s rights, then what were mine?” asked another witness, Gianna Jessen. She survived her mother’s attempt to abort her, and has cerebral palsy due to a lack of oxygen during the abortion.

Undercover videos have exposed Planned Parenthood’s top medical officials discussing ways to crush babies’ bodies to obtain their organs and haggling over prices for individual body parts. The congressional hearing on Wednesday was part of the House Judiciary Committee’s investigation into the abortion business.

The videos have sparked international outrage.

Planned Parenthood “is granted huge amounts of federal funds, making it our business as members of Congress — charged with controlling the federal purse strings — to do what we can to ensure federal taxpayers are not contributing to the sorts of horrors reflected in the undercover videos,” said committee chairman Rep. Robert Goodlatte.

The Democratic congressmen that showed up at the hearing defended Planned Parenthood, abortion, and their practices of obtaining and selling babies’ organs for research — and insisted the abortion business should never face scrutiny.

Rep. Daryl Issa challenged them. “There is a question whether the organization’s conduct is appropriate. Assuming a half-billion dollars is going to be spent” referring to the amount of government funding Planned Parenthood receives, “shouldn’t it be sent to the best steward of that money? We should take an interest if an organization and its employees are respectful of patients and children yet to be born.”

The videos from the Center for Medical Progress include footage of abortion clinic employees sorting through body parts and identifying brain, stomach, kidney, heart, and exclaiming “another boy.”

A “look at the videos makes one thing clear,” said Rep. Trent Franks. “These are body parts. When they came into Planned Parenthood, they were living humans. All the subterfuge, distortion, bait and switch, don’t forget these were babies.

Priscilla Smith, however, insisted that a “fetus” is not equated to a “baby.”

“Who draws the line on who is viable or not viable,” Rep. Trey Gowdy asked Smith. A bill in Congress would outlaw aborting babies who are 20 weeks or older, when they are capable of feeling pain and stand a chance of surviving outside the womb.

“Doctors make the determination” whether a baby is viable, or able to survive, said Smith.

“Lawyers came up with that plan, not doctors,” said Gowdy. “Civil law recognizes viability at 2 weeks pregnant” he noted, when a lawsuit can be filed for the death of an unborn child.

“There was not a single woman on the court when Roe vs Wade was decided,” he said to Rep. Hank Johnson, who previously said no women at the hearing took a pro-life position.

Two of the witnesses were women who survived abortions.

Pro-abortion congressmen said the hearing was a “war on women’s healthcare.” Smith claimed abortions would increase if Planned Parenthood received no government funding, and no one else provides the “highest quality, compassionate” healthcare to low income women.

Rep. John Ratcliff countered that there are 20 clinics for every one Planned Parenthood.

While the law allows payments to cover the costs of obtaining fetal organs and tissues for medical research, Planned Parenthood is accused of selling human organs. The videos show abortionists discussing how high they could charge for body parts.

“There is no discussion of what is the cost, but rather what is the market price,” testified Jim Bopp, a pro-life attorney. Planned Parenthood is “maximizing the amount they are able to get paid based on market consideration.”

For several Republican congressmen, the topic was personal.

Rep Louis Gomert said his daughter was premature and a mere 3 pounds. Planned Parenthood’s defenders are saying abortionists can “rip her arm, her leg off, to use for someone else’s life.”

“There is no way you can put the statements caught on those videos in a different context that makes them acceptable,” said Rep. Doug Collins.

“Priscilla Smith said if a baby is disabled, a woman needs to terminate the pregnancy. My daughter, we found out she had spinal bifada. My wife was told she could terminate,” said Collins.

“You’re talking about my baby, not a fetus,” his wife said.

“This morning, my 23-year old daughter said she’s praying for me,” said Collins.

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