Murray, Senate Dems: Time to End Careless, Partisan Planned Parenthood "Investigation", Focus on Urgent Public Health Issues Impacting Women and Children

Press Release

Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), the top Democrat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and 25 Senators introduced a resolution calling for the termination of the Select Investigative Panel of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, established on October 7, 2015, and redirecting the Committee's unspent funding towards fighting the Zika virus. With the threat of Zika, fetal tissue plays an important role in understanding the virus' impact on children and advancing vaccine development. After thirteen states have concluded independent investigations into false claims against Planned Parenthood and exonerated the organization--including an additional eight states declining to investigate citing lack of wrongdoing--Senators say it's abundantly clear that committee is a partisan effort to undermine Planned Parenthood and interfere with women's healthcare.

"It's well past time for Republicans to end their partisan, unfounded attacks on Planned Parenthood, disband the so-called "Select Panel on Infant Lives" and focus instead on an actual threat: the Zika virus," said Senator Murray. "Rather than wasting taxpayer dollars trying to score political points with their extreme base, House Republicans should be trying to find ways to address the real health challenges women and families face. That's what Senate Democrats are focused on, and I hope House Republicans will reconsider their approach and join us."

As the Select Investigative Panel continues using taxpayer dollars to investigate false claims against Planned Parenthood, Senators echo concerns from advocates and experts about the potentially harmful impact subpoenas could have on critical, ongoing research at universities and labs on the Zika virus, Alzheimer's, and other diseases. In the resolution, the Senators denounce all threats to women's constitutionally protected reproductive health care rights and reaffirm support for Planned Parenthood as a critical source for health care for women and communities, and warn that efforts to defund and undermine the organization would take access to cancer screenings, birth control, STD tests, and other important preventative care away from millions of Americans across the country.

Senator Murray introduced the resolution today with: Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael F. Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Al Franken (D-MN), Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

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