Lawmakers respond to new Planned Parenthood videos: ‘This is an abortion enterprise’

WASHINGTON — House Republicans responded Thursday to new videos of Planned Parenthood staffers telling undercover investigators that they cannot provide prenatal care to women, renewing calls to strip federal funds granted to the nation’s largest abortion provider.

TheBlaze previously reported that the videos, released by the pro-life group Live Action, depict staffers telling Live Action investigators that they couldn’t provide prenatal care or ultrasounds for women who were not undergoing abortions.

The pro-life group said that of the 97 Planned Parenthood clinics they asked for prenatal care, 92 turned them away. Of the 68 clinics they asked for an ultrasound to check the health of the baby, only 3 were able to offer them.

Live Action’s investigation of prenatal care at Planned Parenthood was viewed over 14 million times on Facebook.

At a press conference outside the Capitol, a group of Republican lawmakers cited the videos as reasons why Planned Parenthood should lose its funding.

Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.) said that the videos show that “Planned Parenthood is not about preventive health care – this is an abortion enterprise.”

“Last fall, Americans went to the polls and rejected Planned Parenthood’s callous extremism. Now, it’s time for Congress to do the same,” Black said. “Planned Parenthood should consider today’s press conference as notice: the days of their organization receiving a free ride from taxpayers and a blind eye from Washington are coming to an end.”

“As many of you know, I’m proud to be the House sponsor of the Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2017, and I will continue to advocate for this legislation that would remove all federal funding to Planned Parenthood for a period of one year,” she said.

Black added that the House will “once again seek to defund Planned Parenthood through the reconciliation process – ensuring that taxpayer dollars are allocated to clinics that protect life and provide a better standard of care for American women.”

Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) said that Planned Parenthood “has deceived the world.”

“The dark deception of Planned Parenthood makes continues to make tragic victims of unborn babies and their mothers,” Franks said.

“I hope that the sands of time blow over that Capitol dome before we ever give one more dime of taxpayer dollars to this insidious, deceptive, evil enterprise called Planned Parenthood,” he added.

Other lawmakers, including Reps. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.), Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.), Steve King (R-Iowa) and Chris Smith (R-N.J.), echoed their colleagues’ sentiments, calling for Planned Parenthood to be stripped of its funds.

Lila Rose, the founder and president of Live Action, told TheBlaze that her organization will release several more investigative videos.

Mary Alice Carter, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood, said in an interview with the New York Times that the organization has a history of being targeted by selectively edited videos.

“This is obviously part of a continued campaign to try to discredit us even though investigation after investigation found no wrongdoing in any of our health centers,” Carter said.