The House Energy and Commerce Committee announced today that it has begun an investigation into an undercover video showing a Planned Parenthood official discussing the sale of aborted body parts.
The investigation falls within the purview of the committee’s jurisdiction as the sale of fetal body parts is against the law.
“This video is abhorrent and rips at the heart. The committee will get to the bottom of this appalling situation,” committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.), Vice Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Tim Murphy (R-Pa.), and Health Subcommittee Chairman Joe Pitts (R-Pa.) said in a joint statement.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) called for hearing early today, which would put Planned Parenthood officials in front of the cameras, under oath to answer questions about the body part sales.
“Nothing is more precious than life, especially an unborn child,” Boehner said in a statement. “When anyone diminishes an unborn child, we are all hurt, irreversibly so. When an organization monetizes an unborn child – and with the cavalier attitude portrayed in this horrific video – we must all act.”
“As a start, I have asked our relevant committees to look into this matter. I am also calling on President Obama and Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell to denounce, and stop, these gruesome practices.”
“Respect for life is not just a conservative value—it is an American value that unites us all. The gruesome practices described by a top Planned Parenthood official represent a disregard for human life that is completely unacceptable and has no place in our society,” Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) said. “I urge my House colleagues on both sides of the aisle to aggressively investigate this matter so the American people can know the truth, to take action to hold the abortion industry accountable and to stop this horrifying practice.”
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