House Judiciary Committee Member Doug Collins on Today's Planned Parenthood Hearing

Statement

Today, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing to investigate the horrific practices at the nation's largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood. Witnesses included two women who, as infants, survived attempted abortion, as well as general counsel for the organization National Right to Life.

Congressman Collins also submitted the following statement for the official record of the hearing:

"Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding today's hearing on the abortion practices at Planned Parenthood. I'm grateful for your commitment to examining the horrific practices that have been uncovered through a series of undercover videos and to investigating the allegations against Planned Parenthood.

As the father of three children, I believe we have no greater responsibility than protecting human life. I believe abortion is wrong and I think we have a responsibility as human beings to be a voice for those who do not yet have a voice--the innocent unborn. These unborn children are human beings, gifts from God that are brimming with potential. We need to look no further than two of the witnesses sitting before us today. These women, Gianna Jessen and Melissa Ohden, are survivors. They are also proof that there was and is a plan and purpose for their life and that babies unborn and born deserve protection.

But we are here today to talk specifically about Planned Parenthood and their abortion practices. For years Planned Parenthood has engaged in morally questionable activities, but the videos released by the Center for Medical Progress have raised serious questions about immoral, inhumane, and quite possibly illegal practices at Planned Parenthood.

The videos seem to indicate clear intent to alter abortions to harvest fetal organs. This is despicable in and of itself, but it becomes even more morally reprehensible when shown that Planned Parenthood could even be profiting from the sale of babies' body parts.

Planned Parenthood officials in the videos seem to have no qualms discussing the dissection and sale of fetal organs. They casually discuss the commercial exploitation of aborted fetal tissue over lunch, as if babies are a commodity for trade and profit rather than precious lives to be protected.

Abortion proponents and Planned Parenthood apologists try to distort the issue by painting the justifiable outrage and upset over the videos as attacks on women's health. In fact, the Democratic witness present today has claimed this hearing is an attack on Planned Parenthood and the reproductive care it provides. This could not be more false.

First of all, just looking at Georgia as an example, there are 5 Planned Parenthood facilities in my home state. Compare that to the 274 clinics in Georgia providing comprehensive health care services for women. This issue is not about access to care.

This hearing is about ensuring the nation's largest abortion provider--which receives hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding--is not illegally harvesting fetal organs.

The Committee's investigation is not a jump to conclusions but rather a fact-finding mission to gather the full truth surrounding the horrific allegations in the Center for Medical Progress' videos.

I hope that this will be just the first among many hearings to investigate these abortion practices and to shed light on Planned Parenthood's actions. The American people have a right to know what is happening, and we have a moral obligation to be a voice for the unborn.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I yield back."

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