U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) is adding to the considerable controversy that engulfed Planned Parenthood this week, over reports that it’s selling body parts of aborted babies.
Now, he’s calling for Congress to investigate and defund Planned Parenthood altogether.
Cruz released the following statement:
“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 being 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.”
Planned Parenthood has long been a controversial organization for many on the right, due to its willingness to push for abortion at seemingly any cost.
But the latest scandal has shocked both people on both sides of the aisle–even some of those who have been supportive of Planned Parenthood in the past.
During a meeting with two undercover journalists–who were posing as executives at a biotech company–Planned Parenthood’s Senior Director of Medical Services, Dr. Deborah Nucatola, casually sipped a glass of wine and described in graphic detail how Planned Parenthood sells baby body parts.
“Yesterday was the first time she said people wanted lungs,” Nucatola casually told the undercover journalists. “Some people want lower extremities, too, which, that’s simple. That’s easy. I don’t know what they’re doing with it, I guess if they want muscle.”
She went on to describe how doctors are careful not to “crush” key body parts, like the baby’s liver, when removing the fetus after an abortion–in order to keep up with demand.
Planned Parenthood has, naturally, claimed this video is a lie, putting out a statement that read, in part:
“A well funded group established for the purpose of damaging Planned Parenthood’s mission and services has promoted a heavily edited, secretly recorded videotape that falsely portrays Planned Parenthood’s participation in tissue donation programs that support lifesaving scientific research.”
It remains to be seen what happens to Planned Parenthood–but conservative-leaning hidden camera videos have been successful at shutting down organizations in the past.
Back in 2009, the liberal non-profit ACORN was shut down–after their employees were caught on video giving advice to undercover journalists about how to engage in human trafficking and tax evasion. ACORN’s reputation was so badly damaged that Congress pulled funding–and the entire organization folded just a year later.
While Planned Parenthood is far larger than ACORN, this scandal may be the tip of the iceberg–and may ultimately seal the fate for Planned Parenthood.
