[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 134 (Thursday, September 17, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H6085-H6086]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 INVESTIGATIONS INTO PLANNED PARENTHOOD

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I am here this morning to speak about 
the investigations into Planned Parenthood and to the sale of fetal 
tissues. We are beginning this process in our Committee on Energy and 
Commerce; and we are approaching this in a thoughtful manner, beginning 
these investigations as we look at life rights and focus on the lives 
of these unborn children and the mothers who have gone through this 
process.
  It is so interesting to me, as we have this discussion of fetal 
tissue sales and what all has transpired in the selling of these 
tissues, that we look to science. What science has shown us is that 
these are not blobs of tissue; these are babies.
  This weekend, I had the opportunity to go to a baby shower, and a 
very excited grandmother showed me the sonogram, the picture of her 
unborn granddaughter already named and being celebrated. As we looked 
at it, we could distinguish these features of this child yet unborn, 
but this child fully formed and developing and sleeping in her mother's 
womb.
  There was great excitement to celebrate this arrival, and we know 
that this is a fight worth having and a process worth ending as we look 
at the selling of these fetal organs and what has transpired.
  Now, everyone is familiar with what happened with Kermit Gosnell in 
his house of horrors, and we know there was a conviction, but what we 
have learned is those convictions are very rare. We have moved now to 
the video footage that The Center for Medical Progress released, and we 
see that this is absolutely sickening, abhorrent.

                              {time}  1100

  These videos have raised a lot of suspicion about what has transpired 
in these Planned Parenthood affiliates and clinics and questions as to 
whether they have systematically and repeatedly broken laws.
  Obtaining informed consent for fetal tissue donation, how was that 
approached? Killing infants born alive after an attempted induced 
abortion, who are the persons entitled to legal protection here?
  As you look at a botched abortion and you have a child born alive, 
all of a sudden you have got two patients there that you are 
considering.
  Dr. Deborah Nucatola, Senior Director of Medical Services for Planned 
Parenthood Federation of America, describes harvesting human tissues. 
In one of the videos, she talks about crushing this part or the other 
part of the baby in order to get a good specimen.
  To listen to her callous description and her casual manner is 
sickening, but it also may violate some of the Federal laws which 
prohibit alteration of abortion procedures to obtain fetal tissue.
  In another video, a technician says:

       I'm sitting here and I'm looking at this fetus, and its 
     heart is beating, and I don't know what to think. I don't 
     know if that constitutes it's technically dead or it's alive.

  Imagine that. This baby, if it had arrived in a hospital with a NICU 
and doctors surrounding it, there would

[[Page H6086]]

have been a rush to make certain that life was saved.
  And God bless those NICU specialists who work with these preemie 
babies. We have all spent time with them and are grateful that they are 
there.
  The cheap veneer of the left, the defense of abortion as a matter of 
reproductive choice, is wearing thin. Reproductive rights?
  As I said, let's talk about life rights. Let's discuss life rights. 
It is Constitution Day, the right to life, liberty, pursuit of 
happiness.
  We have got several bills that our Members are bringing forward, 
which I will submit for the Record, along, Mr. Speaker, with those 
Democrats that voted for the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act of 2002, 
which was passed in this House by a voice vote.

                        Planned Parenthood Bills


      H.R. 3134, the Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2015 (Black)

       Bill would impose a one-year moratorium on all federal 
     funding to Planned Parenthood or any of its affiliates while 
     investigations are conducted unless they certify they will 
     not perform abortions or provide funds to other entities that 
     perform abortions.
       Restriction does not apply in cases of rape, incest or 
     woman's health concerns.


  H.R. 3429, the Prohibiting the Life-Ending Industry of Fetal Organ 
                Exchange Act or the Pro-LIFE Act (Yoder)

       This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit 
     the transfer of fetal tissue in exchange for valuable 
     consideration, including payments associated with the 
     transportation, implantation, processing, preservation, 
     quality control, or storage of human fetal tissue.


      H.R. 3494, the Protecting Infants Born Alive Act (Blackburn)

       Draft legislation I have authored to strengthen and improve 
     the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act of 2002.
       The Born-Alive Infants Protection Act of 2002 became law on 
     August 5, 2002 and requires that any reference to person, 
     human being, child or individual include every infant born 
     alive.
       * Both Ellmers and Blackburn bills will ban any provider 
     proven of violating either of these existing laws from 
     participating in Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP and will allow 
     states that suspect any violation of these existing laws to 
     ban those suspected from the state's Medicaid program.*


      H.R. 3495, the Women's Public Health and Safety Act (Duffy)

       The bill amends the Medicaid law to allow states the 
     flexibility and discretion to be able to exclude abortion 
     providers like Planned Parenthood from Medicaid. States that 
     have tried to defund Planned Parenthood have been blocked by 
     the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 
     assertion that states must fund Planned Parenthood under what 
     is known as the ``free choice of qualified provider'' 
     provision in Medicaid. Since the release of the undercover 
     videos by Center for Medical Progress three states 
     (Louisiana, Alabama and Arkansas) have sought to terminate 
     Planned Parenthood's Medicaid contracts and are now embroiled 
     in lawsuits.


  H.R. 3504, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act (Franks)

       Bill mandates that infants born alive during abortions are 
     legal persons entitled to all the rights and protections 
     allowed to other legal persons, including needed medical care 
     and attention. This legislation requires the same care for a 
     child born alive during an abortion as a naturally premature 
     baby born in a hospital. Any violation to this rule is a 
     federal offense and must immediately be reported to law 
     enforcement.
       The bill also provides for criminal penalties for providers 
     who fail to provide care to baby.


 H.R. XX, the Protect Infants from Partial-birth Abortion Act (Ellmers)

       Legislation will bolster the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act 
     of 2003.
       The Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 amends the 
     Federal Criminal code to ban partial-birth abortions except 
     in the interest of the life of the mother


            H.R. 3515, Smith Dismemberment Abortion Ban Act

       The Born Alive Infants Protection Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-
     207) passed the House by voice vote and the Senate by UC. The 
     following is a list of Democrats who were serving when these 
     votes took place.


                          Democratic Senators

       Tammy Baldwin *, Barbara Boxer, Sherrod Brown *, Benjamin 
     L. Cardin *, Maria Cantwell, Tom Carper, Dick Durbin, Dianne 
     Feinstein, Patrick Leahy, Edward J. Markey *, Robert Menendez 
     *, Barbara Mikulski, Patty Murray, Bill Nelson (FL), Jack 
     Reed, Harry Reid, Chuck Schumer, Debbie Stabenow, Tom Udall 
     (NM) *, Ron Wyden.
       * served in the House during the 107th Congress.


                        Democratic House Members

       Xavier Becerra, Sanford D. Bishop Jr., Earl Blumenauer, 
     Robert A. Brady, Corrine Brown, Lois Capps, Michael E. 
     Capuano, James E. Clyburn, John Conyers Jr., Joseph Crowley, 
     Elijah E. Cummings, Danny K. Davis, Susan A. Davis, Peter A. 
     DeFazio, Diana DeGette, Rosa L. DeLauro, Lloyd Doggett, 
     Michael F. Doyle, Eliot L. Engel, Anna G. Eshoo.
       Sam Farr, Chaka Fattah, Gene Green, Luis V. Gutierrez, 
     Alcee L. Hastings, Ruben Hinojosa, Michael M. Honda, Steny H. 
     Hoyer, Steve Israel, Sheila Jackson-Lee, Eddie Bernice 
     Johnson, Marcy Kaptur, Ron Kind, James R. Langevin, Rick 
     Larsen, Barbara Lee, Sander M. Levin, John Lewis, Nita M. 
     Lowey, Stephen F. Lynch.
       Betty McCollum, Jim McDermott, James P. McGovern, Carolyn 
     B. Maloney, Gregory W. Meeks, Jerrold Nadler, Grace F. 
     Napolitano, Richard E. Neal, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Frank 
     Pallone Jr., Bill Pascrell Jr., Donald M. Payne, Nancy 
     Pelosi, Collin C. Peterson, David E. Price, Charles B. 
     Rangel, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Bobby L. Rush, Loretta 
     Sanchez, Janice D. Schakowsky.
       Adam B. Schiff, Robert C. Scott, Jose E. Serrano, Brad 
     Sherman, Louise McIntosh Slaughter, Adam Smith, Bennie G. 
     Thompson, Mike Thompson, Nydia M. Velazquez, Peter J. 
     Visclosky, Maxine Waters.

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