This week, the House Energy and Commerce Committee held hearings on the activities of Planned Parenthood. Several pro-life leaders testified at the hearings, which were described as “contentious” by many who were there or who watched it on TV. It is clear that there are many members of the subcommittee who will defend Planned Parenthood no matter what it does. More information about the hearing, including footage of the complete hearing, is available here.
The next internationally coordinated 40 Days for Life campaign kicks off next week. It will run from September 23, 2015, through November 1, 2015. 40 Days for Life’s vision is to end abortion through prayer, fasting, and peaceful vigil. The mission of the campaign is to bring the community together in a spirit of unity and to turn hearts and minds from a culture of death to a culture of life and bring an end to abortion. Look for a campaign near you and join.
Today the House of Representatives passed the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act (H.R. 3504) by a vote of 248-177, 1 present. The legislation, sponsored by the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice Chairman Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), would protect all children who are born alive. The act severely penalizes abortion practitioners who violate federal law by killing innocent children who are born during failed abortion procedures. The provisions of the bill directly address concerns raised throughout the House Judiciary Committee’s ongoing investigation into Planned Parenthood. Under this bill, if a born-alive child is cut open for its body parts, or some other overt act is taken to kill the child, the punishment is that for first-degree murder, which can include life in prison or the death penalty.
The House of Representatives passed a bill to freeze federal funding for Planned Parenthood by a 241-187 vote. This legislation blocks Planned Parenthood’s federal funding for one year, giving time for Congress to fully investigate claims of wrongdoing. The bill passed after several hours of emotional floor speeches.
Although a majority of both the House and the Senate have now voted to strip federal funding from Planned Parenthood, it is not likely to happen soon. It must still get through procedural hurdles in the Senate, and President Obama has said he will veto both the funding bill and the born-alive bill. The president has never met an abortion he doesn’t like—even when the baby survives the abortion—and totally supports Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion chain in the nation.