Yesterday, members of the Texas legislature convened in Austin with members of the Department of Health and Human Services (DSHS) to commence the nation’s first state-level investigation into Planned Parenthood following the release of videos from the Center for Medical Progress (CMP) detailing the horrifying practice of fetal tissue harvesting in Planned Parenthood abortion mills across the country. Although Planned Parenthood denies that Texas affiliates are among the abortion mills engaging in fetal body part harvesting, undercover footage – both released and unreleased– tell a different story. In the full footage of CMP’s first video, released July 14, Planned Parenthood’s Senior Director of Medical Services, abortionist Deborah Nucatola, states: “Of all the affiliates they [Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast] have the largest research program, they have a multi-million dollar budget. I think they are very well connected.”
Texas: RT @Johnseago .@KenPaxtonTX confirms that the AGs office have received undercover videos of an abortion clinic in Texas. #txlege
— LifeNews.com (@LifeNewsHQ) July 29, 2015
Planned Parenthood declined the committee’s request to testify at the hearing, ironically complaining that the “committee cares more about political gamesmanship than the truth,” while simultaneously engaging in a runaround with the state and refusing to present their version of the truth to the committee. Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey offers the exceedingly plausible reason why Planned Parenthood is actually evading on-the-record scrutiny here.
Texas Right to Life Legislative Director and Planned Parenthood defunding veteran, John Seago, was present at the hearing to offer crucial insight on the issue to Texas elected officials. Chief among Texas Right to Life’s recommendations to the panel is a Dismemberment Abortion Ban. Seago noted that reforms in the pre-abortion paperwork process and a bioethical ban on fetal tissue trafficking in the state of Texas are steps that would address the issue immediately at-hand, but pointed to the core problem, which is Texas permitting preborn children up to 20 weeks’ gestation to be barbarically dismembered – torn limb from limb – while alive in the womb. Seago explained to the panel that the reason intact body parts from later-term children are procurable is because of this torturous abortion method, thus, Planned Parenthood profits twice over from the live dismemberment of preborn children.
Seago also noted the imperative nature of fully defunding Planned Parenthood in the state of Texas. Although Texas has already diverted tens of millions of taxpayer dollars away from the abortion giant, Planned Parenthood is still receiving tax revenue from three areas of funding. Planned Parenthood must be blocked from these remaining funding streams and defunded on a federal level, and the American outcry for this defunding has never been louder.
Continue to follow Texas Right to Life as we provide updates on the status of Texas’ multi-faceted investigations into Planned Parenthood.