As Planned Parenthood Investigation Continues, #SubHealth to Review Two Bills to Protect Dignity of Human Life

Press Release

The Subcommittee on Health, chaired by Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA), has scheduled a hearing for Thursday, September 17, at 3:00 p.m. in room 2123 of the Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing is entitled, "Protecting Infants: Ending Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Providers Who Violate the Law." Members will discuss two bills to strengthen enforcement against providers who violate Born-Alive Infants Protection Act of 2002 and the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003. Legislative text will be circulated in advance of the hearing.

The Energy and Commerce Committee has been investigating the disturbing and abhorrent acts brought to light by a series of videos released over the past several weeks. The videos raise questions about whether Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) or its affiliates are profiting from or altering abortion practices in order to obtain and sell fetal tissue. The committee is also questioning whether or not women are giving adequate and appropriate consent. The investigation will include a thorough review of the laws surrounding these practices.

"As the investigations into the despicable actions demonstrated in the series of videos continue, these bills take an important step forward in protecting human life," said Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) and Subcommittee Chairman Joe Pitts (R-PA). "Banning taxpayer funding is a powerful enforcement tool that will ensure the vital laws established in 2002 and 2003 are enforced with every tool available. No human life should be talked about or treated with the disrespect and disregard demonstrated in the recent videos. As we move these bills forward, our investigation continues."

These bills will bolster the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act of 2002 and the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban of 2003. These bills will ban any provider proven of violating either of these existing laws from participating in Medicare. Additionally, these bills will allow states that suspect any violation of these existing laws to ban those suspected from the state's Medicaid program.

In the course of this investigation, the committee has sent five letters since the release of the first video and conducted six interviews to date. The committee has interviewed Dr. Reagan McDonald Mosley, the Chief Medical Officer of PPFA, Dr. Deborah Nucatola, Senior Director of Medical Services at PPFA, representatives from StemExpress, Novogenix, and Advanced Biosciences Resources, Inc. The committee has also interviewed the Associate Director for Science Policy at the National Institutes of Health. The committee will use every investigative tool available to get to the facts.

The Majority Memorandum, a witness list, and witness testimony will be available here as they are posted.

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