PLANNED PARENTHOOD STATEMENT ON HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE HEARING
For Immediate Release: Dec. 28, 2015
Washington, DC-- Today, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing provocatively titled “Planned Parenthood Exposed, Examining the Horrific Abortion Practices at the Nation’s Largest Abortion Provider.” The Republican Majority invited three life-long anti-abortion activists to testify, however they did not invite officials from Planned Parenthood.
Statement from Dawn Laguens, Executive Vice President for Planned Parenthood Federation of America:
“This hearing was political theater at its very worst. From the provocative title to the slate of life-long anti-abortion activists invited to testify, it’s clear this hearing was not about Planned Parenthood --- it was a chance for anti-abortion extremists and members of Congress to promote their political agenda of banning abortion in this country.
“Millions of people across the country depend on Planned Parenthood for basic, reproductive health care. More than half of Planned Parenthood’s health centers are in rural or medically underserved areas, meaning that quite literally, without us, many of our patients would have nowhere else to go. These attacks against Planned Parenthood are fraudulent, have been widely discredited, and are intended to deceive the public in order to further an anti-abortion agenda. The public overwhelmingly rejects these baseless attacks and overwhelmingly supports federal funding for Planned Parenthood's preventive services. This is not what people want to see Congress spending its time doing."
This morning, Planned Parenthood released a memo titled, “The Fanatical Crusade Against Planned Parenthood: Decades of Doctored Videos, Failed Entrapments, and False Accusations” outlining how the recent two-month long campaign by activists who call themselves the Center for Medical Progress is not unique --- in fact it is the tenth in 15 years’ worth of discredited attacks against Planned Parenthood.
Three teams of forensic experts have thoroughly reviewed the videos released by the Center for Medical Progress, and concluded that they “significantly distort and misrepresent” actual events. In addition, legal problems are piling up for the group behind the videos — with David Daleiden already indicating he will plead the Fifth Amendment in court proceedings.
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Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable health care for women, men, and young people, as well as the nation’s largest provider of sex education. With approximately 700 health centers across the country, Planned Parenthood organizations serve all patients with care and compassion, with respect and without judgment. Through health centers, programs in schools and communities, and online resources, Planned Parenthood is a trusted source of reliable health information that allows people to make informed health decisions. We do all this because we care passionately about helping people lead healthier lives.
Source
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Contact
Planned Parenthood Federation of America media office: 212-261-4433
Published
September 09, 2015