A heavily edited undercover video has now become the focus of a congressional investigation , Life News reports. The abbreviated video leaves viewers with little to do but draw a straight line between the already connected dots. Planned Parenthood is selling aborted baby body parts. Its salacious, but not necessarily true .
Recent headlines surrounding the video, created by anti-abortion group Center for Medical Progress (CMP), are a variant of criminal entrapment of Planned Parenthood and propaganda piece of the anti-abortion conservatives. Either way, the video is pretty damning not only for Planned Parenthood, but for its senior director, Doctor Deborah Nucatola, who appears in the video.
Planned Parenthood Vice President of Communications Eric Ferrero was quick to respond to the shocking video, emphasizing there is no financial profit or incentive with regard to tissue donation.
“There is no financial benefit for tissue donation for either the patient or for Planned Parenthood. In some instances, actual costs, such as the cost to transport tissue to leading research centers, are reimbursed, which is standard across the medical field.”
But it does little to quell the growing backlash against Planned Parenthood and mounting calls to Congress, including a petition , to cut its funding.
Abortionist Deborah “Hannibal” Nucatola swills her chianti while talking about selling baby parts. http://t.co/xlPAK3z6Ln #PPSellsBabyParts
— Patricia Heaton (@PatriciaHeaton) July 14, 2015
I’m urging #Congress to eliminate every last dime of #PlannedParenthood funding! Join me, sign the petition here: https://t.co/alZGjf8BE2
— Ben & Candy Carson (@RealBenCarson) July 15, 2015
Fed gov’t should not give #PlannedParenthood another dime. I’m calling on the House to bring up #HR217 for a vote. http://t.co/jzpS0Vb46f
— Diane Black (@RepDianeBlack) July 15, 2015
The #PlannedParenthood video is horrific and heartbreaking. We need a swift and thorough investigation immediately. #ProLife
— Tim Scott (@SenatorTimScott) July 15, 2015
Planned Parenthood’s statement also did little to mitigate Nucatola’s words, some of which are pretty incriminating.
“The Federal Abortion Ban is a law, and laws are up to interpretation. So, if I say today I do not intend to do this, what ultimately happens doesn’t matter.”
But it does matter. While donation of post abortion fetal tissue is within the law and relatively common practice, as reported by The Daily Beast , trafficking human body organs is not. This debate can quickly boil down to semantics, as Planned Parenthood utilizes the term “tissue” in their narrative. However, Nucatola’s admittedly edited conversation specifically identified body parts, not tissue.
“We’ve been very good at getting heart, lung, liver because we know what, so I’m not gonna crush that part. I’m gonna crush below, I’m gonna crush above and I’m gonna see if I can get it all intact.”
CMP rebuffed Planned Parenthood’s position with a statement of their own that includes a link to a StemExpress flyer (PDF) that touts not only an opportunity “to facilitate life-saving research,” but the ability to add “fiscal growth.”
CMP’s goal was clear: Planned Parenthood is breaking the law by selling baby body parts. Catch Planned Parenthood in the act.
If the objective was to cause Planned Parenthood to lose its federal funding, CMP is almost there. Speaker Boehner has announced an investigation into the shock video’s claims against Planned Parenthood and issued a statement soon after the video’s release.
“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.”
Texas Governor Greg Abott and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal have also launched their own investigations into Planned Parenthood affiliates in their states.
All it took was one video to shake the foundations of Planned Parenthood covering a narrative that Slate calls “ titillating but misleading .” Planned Parenthood – 0, CMP – 1.
[Photo courtesy Facebook]