Investigations into Planned Parenthood

Floor Speech

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Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I am here this morning to speak about the investigations into Planned Parenthood and to the sale of fetal tissues. We are beginning this process in our Committee on Energy and Commerce; and we are approaching this in a thoughtful manner, beginning these investigations as we look at life rights and focus on the lives of these unborn children and the mothers who have gone through this process.

It is so interesting to me, as we have this discussion of fetal tissue sales and what all has transpired in the selling of these tissues, that we look to science. What science has shown us is that these are not blobs of tissue; these are babies.

This weekend, I had the opportunity to go to a baby shower, and a very excited grandmother showed me the sonogram, the picture of her unborn granddaughter already named and being celebrated. As we looked at it, we could distinguish these features of this child yet unborn, but this child fully formed and developing and sleeping in her mother's womb.

There was great excitement to celebrate this arrival, and we know that this is a fight worth having and a process worth ending as we look at the selling of these fetal organs and what has transpired.

Now, everyone is familiar with what happened with Kermit Gosnell in his house of horrors, and we know there was a conviction, but what we have learned is those convictions are very rare. We have moved now to the video footage that The Center for Medical Progress released, and we see that this is absolutely sickening, abhorrent.

These videos have raised a lot of suspicion about what has transpired in these Planned Parenthood affiliates and clinics and questions as to whether they have systematically and repeatedly broken laws.

Obtaining informed consent for fetal tissue donation, how was that approached? Killing infants born alive after an attempted induced abortion, who are the persons entitled to legal protection here?

As you look at a botched abortion and you have a child born alive, all of a sudden you have got two patients there that you are considering.

Dr. Deborah Nucatola, Senior Director of Medical Services for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, describes harvesting human tissues. In one of the videos, she talks about crushing this part or the other part of the baby in order to get a good specimen.

To listen to her callous description and her casual manner is sickening, but it also may violate some of the Federal laws which prohibit alteration of abortion procedures to obtain fetal tissue.

In another video, a technician says:

I'm sitting here and I'm looking at this fetus, and its heart is beating, and I don't know what to think. I don't know if that constitutes it's technically dead or it's alive.

Imagine that. This baby, if it had arrived in a hospital with a NICU and doctors surrounding it, there would have been a rush to make certain that life was saved.

And God bless those NICU specialists who work with these preemie babies. We have all spent time with them and are grateful that they are there.

The cheap veneer of the left, the defense of abortion as a matter of reproductive choice, is wearing thin. Reproductive rights?

As I said, let's talk about life rights. Let's discuss life rights. It is Constitution Day, the right to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness.

We have got several bills that our Members are bringing forward, which I will submit for the Record, along, Mr. Speaker, with those Democrats that voted for the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act of 2002, which was passed in this House by a voice vote.

Planned Parenthood Bills

H.R. 3134, THE DEFUND PLANNED PARENTHOOD ACT OF 2015 (BLACK)

Bill would impose a one-year moratorium on all federal funding to Planned Parenthood or any of its affiliates while investigations are conducted unless they certify they will not perform abortions or provide funds to other entities that perform abortions.

Restriction does not apply in cases of rape, incest or woman's health concerns.

H.R. 3429, THE PROHIBITING THE LIFE-ENDING INDUSTRY OF FETAL ORGAN EXCHANGE ACT OR THE PRO-LIFE ACT (YODER)

This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit the transfer of fetal tissue in exchange for valuable consideration, including payments associated with the transportation, implantation, processing, preservation, quality control, or storage of human fetal tissue.

H.R. 3494, THE PROTECTING INFANTS BORN ALIVE ACT (BLACKBURN)

Draft legislation I have authored to strengthen and improve the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act of 2002.

The Born-Alive Infants Protection Act of 2002 became law on August 5, 2002 and requires that any reference to person, human being, child or individual include every infant born alive.

* Both Ellmers and Blackburn bills will ban any provider proven of violating either of these existing laws from participating in Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP and will allow states that suspect any violation of these existing laws to ban those suspected from the state's Medicaid program.*

H.R. 3495, THE WOMEN'S PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY ACT (DUFFY)

The bill amends the Medicaid law to allow states the flexibility and discretion to be able to exclude abortion providers like Planned Parenthood from Medicaid. States that have tried to defund Planned Parenthood have been blocked by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services assertion that states must fund Planned Parenthood under what is known as the ``free choice of qualified provider'' provision in Medicaid. Since the release of the undercover videos by Center for Medical Progress three states (Louisiana, Alabama and Arkansas) have sought to terminate Planned Parenthood's Medicaid contracts and are now embroiled in lawsuits.

H.R. 3504, THE BORN-ALIVE ABORTION SURVIVORS PROTECTION ACT (FRANKS)

Bill mandates that infants born alive during abortions are legal persons entitled to all the rights and protections allowed to other legal persons, including needed medical care and attention. This legislation requires the same care for a child born alive during an abortion as a naturally premature baby born in a hospital. Any violation to this rule is a federal offense and must immediately be reported to law enforcement.

The bill also provides for criminal penalties for providers who fail to provide care to baby.

H.R. XX, THE PROTECT INFANTS FROM PARTIAL-BIRTH ABORTION ACT (ELLMERS)

Legislation will bolster the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003.

The Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 amends the Federal Criminal code to ban partial-birth abortions except in the interest of the life of the mother

H.R. 3515, SMITH DISMEMBERMENT ABORTION BAN ACT

The Born Alive Infants Protection Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-207) passed the House by voice vote and the Senate by UC. The following is a list of Democrats who were serving when these votes took place.

DEMOCRATIC SENATORS

Tammy Baldwin *, Barbara Boxer, Sherrod Brown *, Benjamin L. Cardin *, Maria Cantwell, Tom Carper, Dick Durbin, Dianne Feinstein, Patrick Leahy, Edward J. Markey *, Robert Menendez *, Barbara Mikulski, Patty Murray, Bill Nelson (FL), Jack Reed, Harry Reid, Chuck Schumer, Debbie Stabenow, Tom Udall (NM) *, Ron Wyden.

* served in the House during the 107th Congress.

DEMOCRATIC HOUSE MEMBERS

Xavier Becerra, Sanford D. Bishop Jr., Earl Blumenauer, Robert A. Brady, Corrine Brown, Lois Capps, Michael E. Capuano, James E. Clyburn, John Conyers Jr., Joseph Crowley, Elijah E. Cummings, Danny K. Davis, Susan A. Davis, Peter A. DeFazio, Diana DeGette, Rosa L. DeLauro, Lloyd Doggett, Michael F. Doyle, Eliot L. Engel, Anna G. Eshoo.

Sam Farr, Chaka Fattah, Gene Green, Luis V. Gutiérrez, Alcee L. Hastings, Rubén Hinojosa, Michael M. Honda, Steny H. Hoyer, Steve Israel, Sheila Jackson-Lee, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Marcy Kaptur, Ron Kind, James R. Langevin, Rick Larsen, Barbara Lee, Sander M. Levin, John Lewis, Nita M. Lowey, Stephen F. Lynch.

Betty McCollum, Jim McDermott, James P. McGovern, Carolyn B. Maloney, Gregory W. Meeks, Jerrold Nadler, Grace F. Napolitano, Richard E. Neal, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Frank Pallone Jr., Bill Pascrell Jr., Donald M. Payne, Nancy Pelosi, Collin C. Peterson, David E. Price, Charles B. Rangel, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Bobby L. Rush, Loretta Sanchez, Janice D. Schakowsky.

Adam B. Schiff, Robert C. Scott, José E. Serrano, Brad Sherman, Louise McIntosh Slaughter, Adam Smith, Bennie G. Thompson, Mike Thompson, Nydia M. Velázquez, Peter J. Visclosky, Maxine Waters.

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