Life Advocacy Briefing

Video Rollout Continues

TWO MORE VIDEOS HAVE BEEN RELEASED in the ongoing Planned Parenthood scandal since last we published Life Advocacy Briefing just two weeks ago. The videos can be viewed online at www.centerformedicalprogress.org.

The first of these two focuses on StemExpress, the go-between company which collects the organs and tissues of snuffed babies from the abortuaries of Planned Parenthood and delivers them to research ghouls in universities and other labs. The other, released Sept. 1, highlights Advanced Biosciences Resources, Inc., a baby parts procurement company which, according to the medical director for Planned Parenthood Pacific Southwest, has had a business relationship with the San Diego-based PPPS for more than 10 years.

PPPS, according to Operation Rescue’s Cheryl Sullenger, “is a high-volume abortion provider that conducts abortions up to 24 weeks. Tissue Procurement Operations [like ABR Inc.],” notes Ms. Sullenger, “covet second-trimester fetal tissue particularly in the 18-to-22-week range.” The Center for Medical Progress executive director, who produced the videos, has sent a letter to Congress urging that the relationship between Planned Parenthood and the tissue procurers be carefully examined.

The Chilling Stall

G.O.P. LEADERS ON CAPITOL HILL – who sought and continue to seek votes and campaign support from citizens who are motivated to restore the right to Life of all human beings – appear to be so risk-averse as they approach 2016 that the defunding of Planned Parenthood is falling off the agenda for the September Congressional session.

This is the month when Congress will focus on spending bills for Fiscal Year 2016; it should be the month – after a summer of scandal besetting Planned Parenthood – of robust debate and intense political pressure over the PP defunding issue. Yet it appears the GOP leadership in House and Senate are continuing to balk at elevating the issue and putting blame for any budget crisis where it belongs: on the man in the White House who insists he will veto any legislation which disqualifies his favorite abortion purveyor from federal taxpayer funding.

In an interview with WYMT-TV in Eastern Kentucky, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) declared, reports Dustin Siggins for LifeSiteNews.com, “‘The President’s made it very clear he’s not going to sign any bill that includes defunding of Planned Parenthood, so that’s another issue that awaits a new President.’” Translation: Planned Parenthood will continue to draw some half-billion-dollars of taxpayer funding until the voters decide whether they can trust the next President to take action, since Congress will not confront the White House on such a matter.

We do not like to second-guess the leadership of Congress, recognizing as we do that the leaders have many considerations that are not necessarily shared with the public. But in this matter, having undergone along with the American people a summer of exposure to the ugly, Nazistic underbelly of America’s abortion trade, we must express not just disappointment but disgust.

If not now, when? If not the GOP majority in Congress, who?

How many more babies must die, how many more mothers must be deceived and coerced, how many more little ones must be dismembered to satisfy the ghouls in the “research” trade? And how many more billions of dollars must we be taxed to force our complicity in this death-and-dismemberment scandal?

Doing What’s Right, Regardless

NOT EVERYONE ON CAPITOL HILL HAS THROWN IN THE TOWEL on the Planned Parenthood defunding priority. “Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus,” reports Dustin Siggins for LifeSiteNews.com, “say they will try to get their chamber to defund Planned Parenthood, no matter what.

“‘If the President of the United States and [Senate Minority Leader] Harry Reid think it’s more important that Planned Parenthood get your tax dollars than to pay our troops,’” said Freedom Caucus leader Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), quoted by Mr. Siggins, “‘then they are shutting down the government.’” They, the stiff-necked Democratic Party leadership, not Members of Congress who are pursuing their duty to taxpayers.

The 18 House conservatives being led by Rep. Jordan “argue the political risks are worth it,” writes Mr. Siggins. “They have refused,” he reports, “to budge on Planned Parenthood [de]funding in the upcoming budget debate,” no matter whom the major media are likely to blame if the President precipitates a budgetary crisis over the financial rewards with which he is determined to continue to lather his most prized special interest, at the expense of our taxpayer wallets and our national shame.

Going on the Record

AS LONG AS SEN. McCONNELL WANTS TO PUNT the Planned Parenthood defunding imperative to “a new President” (see “The Chilling Stall” in this edition of Life Advocacy Briefing), perhaps the time has come to hear from the men and women who are seeking their respective parties’ Presidential nominations. Karen Cross, political director for National Right to Life, has produced a compilation of quotes on the Planned Parenthood scandal from each of the candidates – in alphabetical order within the two major parties, and we reprint those comments here, beginning this week with the GOP contenders and expecting to round out the report with quotes from the Democratic candidates in our next edition:

Jeb Bush, former Florida Governor: “This is a shocking and horrific reminder that we must do so much more to foster a culture of life in America. We should, and the next President should defund Planned Parenthood.”

Ben Carson, retired neurosurgeon: “I, like many of you, was sickened when I saw the video of Dr. Deborah Nucatola of Planned Parenthood secretly videotaped discussing selling aborted baby parts. I was more than sickened; I was enraged. Planned Parenthood and their enablers must be stopped from these barbaric practices.”

Chris Christie, Governor of New Jersey: “I am proud to be a pro-life Republican. I believe that every life is an individual gift from God and that no life is disposable. I defunded Planned Parenthood in New Jersey six years ago. We’ve defunded it every year for the last six years. Now, with the most recent revelations, there’s even more reason not to fund Planned Parenthood.”

Ted Cruz, US Senator from Texas: “Today’s news regarding allegations that Planned Parenthood is possibly selling the body parts of the babies it has aborted is sickening. There is no place for taxpayer funding of organizations that profit from taking away innocent life, much less profiting off the bodies of the lives they have stolen. Congress should immediately begin an investigation of Planned Parenthood’s activities regarding the sale and transfer of aborted body parts, including who is obtaining them and what they are used for. And it should renew efforts to fully defund Planned Parenthood to ensure that its morally bankrupt business receives not one penny of taxpayer money. I proudly stand on the side of Life and remain committed to fighting for all innocent life to be valued and protected under the laws of this nation.”

Carly Fiorina, former Hewlett Packard CEO: “I am proudly pro-life. I believe that every human life has potential and that every human life is precious. This latest news is tragic and outrageous. This isn’t about ‘choice.’ It’s about profiting on the death of the unborn while telling women it’s about empowerment. It doesn’t matter whether you think you’re pro-choice or pro-life. Every woman, every man has to look at these videos and think, what has gone wrong in our nation? It is made even more terrible by the absolute deafening silence of the Democratic Party. Democrats have always fought for a policy that says it is not a life until it leaves the hospital. Hillary Clinton has fought to preserve that policy. I would vote to defund Planned Parenthood. If we are not prepared to stand up and fight over this, what are we prepared to stand up and fight over? These Planned Parenthood videos have horrified Americans across the country – regardless of party affiliation or whether you are pro-life or pro-choice – and the pressure on Congress will be enormous. This is about the moral foundation of this nation. We have to ask every Democrat how can you continue to support taxpayer funding for an organization that decides how to kill a baby to best harvest its organs?”

Jim Gilmore, former Virginia Governor; no current comments were quoted by the NRL writer, who did quote Mr. Gilmore from a statement he made while Governor (1998-2002): “As Governor, I won’t ask taxpayers to pay for abortions. I won’t support late-term abortion.”

Lindsey Graham, US Senator from South Carolina: “I wholly support the defunding of Planned Parenthood today and in the future. As President, I pledge I would never send a budget to Capitol Hill that contains a penny of funding for Planned Parenthood. … We can kill their funding while maintaining a robust commitment to providing access to important preventive medicine and prenatal services. Organizations that harvest body parts from unborn children is neither planned parenthood nor right and should not receive any support from the federal government. I’m running for President to create a culture of respect for human life and look forward to not only eliminating funding for Planned Parenthood but also ending abortions at 20 weeks when a child can feel pain. The United States is one of seven nations that allows such a practice and as President, I would make sure we are no longer part of that club.

Mike Huckabee, former Governor of Arkansas: “I will stand for the sanctity of all human life from the moment of conception until the grave. Taking this unequivocal stand includes fighting to defund Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood has proven to be a repulsive, revolting, stomach-churning enterprise that should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Destroying innocent human life and harvesting human organs is beyond barbaric; it is unimaginable, immoral, grotesque and evil. What makes America unique is our respect and sanctity of the value of every single human being. Planned Parenthood does not represent these values and deprives millions of children of their God-given right to life and liberty.”

Bobby Jindal, Governor of Louisiana, who, notes the NRL writer, opened an immediate investigation and canceled his state’s contracts with Planned Parenthood immediately after the expose videos were released; his quoted comments: “The video of a senior Planned Parenthood official at lunch, discussing a scheme to harvest and traffic human body parts between bites of her salad, sickened me. Even the most hardened liberal must feel some pang of conscience watching the callousness with which she discusses the dismemberment of defenseless babies. How could anybody, regardless of political party, refuse to condemn such barbarism? I hope those who oppose efforts to encourage a culture of life watch this video. I hope it disrupts their ideology. And I hope it will compel them to protect the sanctity of life going forward.”

John Kasich, Governor of Ohio; no current comments were quoted by the NRL writer, who noted Gov. Kasich’s “strong pro-life voting record” as a Member of Congress from 1983-2001 and detailed Mr. Kasich’s record as governor, quoting NARAL Pro-Choice America complaining that Gov. Kasich “‘has enacted 16 anti-abortion measures’” and noting he “‘stripped Planned Parenthood’ funding by $1.4 million and ‘during Kasich’s time in office, the number of abortion providers in the state has dropped from 16 to eight.’”

George Pataki, former Governor of New York: “Roe v. Wade. It’s been the law of the land for forty-two years, and I don’t think we should continue to try to change it. But what we can do is defund Planned Parenthood.”

Rand Paul, US Senator from Kentucky, pledged, reports the NRL writer, to: “do whatever I can to stop them and will introduce an amendment to pending Senate legislation to immediately strip every dollar of Planned Parenthood funding.”

Rick Perry, former Governor of Texas: “The video showing a Planned Parenthood employee selling the body parts of aborted children is a disturbing reminder of the organization’s penchant for profiting off the tragedy of a destroyed human life. It is because of stories like this that I signed legislation defunding Planned Parenthood in the State of Texas – to protect life and the health and safety of Texans.”

Marco Rubio, US Senator from Florida: “I am sickened by the complete disregard for innocent unborn life evident at Planned Parenthood. I am proud that one of my first actions in the Senate was voting to defund this organization.”

Rick Santorum, former Senator from Pennsylvania: “… always have been and always will be in favor of defunding Planned Parenthood and their destruction and now exploitation of human life. I would have had a vote on the floor in the Senate, if I was the Senate leader, to defund Planned Parenthood and have a debate on it, as well as have hearings to see if there’s any criminal activity or criminal investigation that should be pursued.”

Donald Trump, business investor: “It’s disgusting, and absolutely they should be defunded. I thought, you know, it’s so cavalier and so horrible. I just thought it was incredible. So anyway, the answer is, in my opinion, they should absolutely be defunded. In the case of Planned Parenthood, you know – anybody that watched these various videos … I mean, it’s very sad to watch it. It’s very sad, and it wasn’t even that – it was so bad and yet, you know, there was such a cavalier attitude that this woman – I guess she was a doctor or something … so cavalier. I thought it was a disgrace.” In a further interview, Mr. Trump said: “Well the biggest problem I have with Planned Parenthood is the abortion situation. I mean, it’s like an abortion factory, frankly. You can’t have it, and you just shouldn’t be funding it. And that should not be funded by the government. And I feel strongly about that. And that’s my biggest problem with Planned Parenthood, because really, if you look at it and the work they do, it really has become heavily centered on abortion, and you can’t have that.” He further said in response to a further question: “Here’s what I would do if the time came: I would look at the individual things that they do, and maybe some of the things are good. And I know a lot of things are bad. The abortion aspect of it should not be funded by government. Absolutely.” He later added: “I would look at the good aspects of it, and I would also look, as I’m sure they do some things properly and good, and good for women, and I would look at that. I would look at other aspects also.”

Scott Walker, Governor of Wisconsin: “This is absolutely horrifying and disgusting. Planned Parenthood and the Democrats who vote to fund this organization owe the American people an explanation for these heinous and possibly illegal actions. Practices like this cannot be tolerated, which is why as Governor, I defunded Planned Parenthood.”

Senate Debate Excerpt

From the Aug. 3, 2015, Senate floor speech by Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX), transcribed by Life Advocacy Briefing

… This is the beginning of the fight to regain America’s conscience and the fight to restore the law that has been on the books for forty years when it comes to taxpayer funding of abortions. We all understand that the Supreme Court in Roe versus Wade has held that abortion is a right, but we also know that there is a rare area where there is a consensus between pro-choice and pro-life people like myself, and that is, we draw the line – and have since 1976 – when it comes to taxpayer funding of abortions.

Of course, what brought us here to this point most immediately was because our collective conscience was shocked by videos depicting Planned Parenthood executives discussing the harvesting and sale of the organs of unborn babies, an abhorrent, disgusting practice that we cannot ignore. Perhaps the only thing more shocking than the actual dismembering of unborn children for sale is the cavalier attitude by the Planned Parenthood staff, who seem to have sacrificed their humanity and show so little regard for the sanctity of human life. What was shown in these videos is an outrage, and it demands our action. …

You hear some of our friends who are defending Planned Parenthood say, ‘Oh well this is different, because the money is kept separate.’ But we know that money that comes from the federal government can keep the lights on and keep the doors open, so the abortions can continue to be performed, and it is simply a fiction to claim that federal tax dollars are not supporting conduct proscribed by the Hyde Amendment for the last forty years. We don’t stop there, though, when it comes to this legislation. … We would actually redirect the money to ensure the taxpayer dollars that once went to Planned Parenthood now go to provide for women’s health, like in thousands of community health centers across the country. … We can actually provide better access, more access for women by transferring the money from Planned Parenthood to community health centers and other non-abortion providers. … We need to be clear: This legislation defends women’s health, and it ensures women access across the country to essential health services. …

An organization that so callously reduces our most vulnerable to spare parts for sale has no business receiving any money from the federal taxpayers. …

Somehow we as a nation have been lulled into a sense of complacency and have become somehow so desensitized to these barbaric practices depicted in these videos that it no longer stimulates us to act. But today we have a chance – on behalf of the American people, the people we collectively represent – to act, and to act in a way that protects the most vulnerable.