House Votes To Continue Planned Parenthood Investigation: Budget Doubled

The House votes to continue the Planned Parenthood investigation by doubling the budget. Planned Parenthood has been under investigation following the alleged accusations of them making profit from the tissue of aborted fetus, The Hill reports.

In October of last year, Planned Parenthood went under investigation after alleged leaked videos were exposed of them illegally selling aborted fetus body parts and tissue. Planned Parenthood denied the allegations, but enough evidence was provided to allow the start of a $790,000 investigation.

BREAKING: @PPact @PPGulfCoast referred for criminal prosecution by @HouseCommerce #PPSellsBabyParts #guilty https://t.co/EzesWEFJKc

— David Daleiden (@daviddaleiden) December 1, 2016

Although the Democrats called for the investigation panel to be removed, the lawmakers passed the budget increase with a vote of 234 to 181. A report is set to be released before the end of the year.

By law, suppliers are able to legally be reimbursed for the costs of transporting, handling, and storing fetal tissue, but it does not legally allow them to charge for the tissue, itself.

In addition to investigating the sale of fetal tissue and body parts, the investigative panel has also been digging a little deeper to determine how abortion providers are getting so much federal funding.

Rep. Marsha Blackburn, the committee’s chairwoman, wants the government to be held accountable.

“It is now up to us to build on the work, to hold the government accountable, and stop these affronts to human dignity.”

The Democrats accused the panel of Republicans of trying to shame medical researchers, who use fetal tissue to create new vaccines.

The panel’s top Democrat, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (Ill.), said that the investigation panel, as well as the investigation, is a “disgrace to this House of Representatives.”

“Instead of providing more funding for this divisive and dangerous inquisition, Congress should shut down this panel and put an end to its shameful proceedings.”

Rep. Marsha Blackburn says that this alleged criminal act by abortion clinics has been given too little attention, The Blaze reports.

“Our Panel was tasked with investigating areas that, prior to the revelations of undercover journalists, received too little attention. For most of us, it is nothing short of an outrage that Planned Parenthood and other abortion clinics supplement their budgets by selling human fetal tissue from aborted babies. The House charged members of this Panel with investigating fetal tissue trafficking, second- and third-trimester abortion practices, the standard of care for infants who survive abortions, and the role played by our taxpayer dollars in this sector of society. Over the last year, we have held hearings that explored the bioethics surrounding fetal tissue use and that revealed the sobering reality of how some bad actors seek to profit from the sale of fetal tissue in violation of federal law.”

Blackburn further revealed that the evidence that has been uncovered by unlawful and unethical abortion clinics may potentially be putting important research at risk.

Rep. Jan Schakowsky quickly shot the additional funding down, stating that the select panel is “attacking women’s health.”

Abortion has always been a very controversial subject. There are multiple reasons why women choose to have an abortion, whether it would be because it is threatening their life or health, or the baby has severe health problems or a disability, but pro-life activists question aborting a baby that is considered viable outside the womb.

According to Baby Med, a pregnancy is considered viable at 24 weeks, although some babies as early as 23 weeks have lived outside the womb with intensive intervention.

According to Guttmacher, 19 of the states have bans on abortions after viability, although some of these states do have exceptions, such as the health or life risk of the mother or baby.

Some states limit abortion at 20 weeks post-fertilization, where others limit at 24 weeks, or the start of the third trimester, which begins at 28 weeks.

[Featured Image by Eric Gay/AP Images]