Not one representative from Planned Parenthood has been invited to attend the first Capitol Hill hearing on a series of controversial, secretly-recorded videos released by an anti-choice group over the summer—even as conservative lawmakers use the occasion to demand the organization answer for their alleged remarks in the footage.
The meeting will be held Wednesday by the House Judiciary Committee, which will hear testimony from “expert witnesses,” including the general counsel of the National Right to Life group, as well as two women who are described as “abortion survivors.”
According to a statement from the committee released last week, the hearing will focus on late-term abortions and the procedures involved in harvesting fetal tissue for medical research. The videos, released by the Center for Medical Progress, allege to show Planned Parenthood officials discussing profiting off the sale of fetal organs and other donations.
But at a hearing titled, ‘Planned Parenthood Exposed: Examining the Horrific Abortion Practices at the Nation’s Largest Abortion Provider,’ Planned Parenthood itself will not be heard.
“We know very little about this hearing, aside from its provocative title and that the three witnesses called by the Republican majority are longtime activists who advocate for banning abortion completely,” said Planned Parenthood vice president of communications Eric Ferrero. “While all of these congressional investigations are based on false claims and videos that have been completely discredited, we continue to be fully transparent and cooperate with all of the committees.”
Ferrero continued, “Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading provider of reproductive health care and sex education, we follow all laws and have extremely high medical and professional standards. Our focus is on providing high-quality preventive health care and accurate sex education to millions of people who rely on us every year.”
SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT