Lawmakers grill HHS over Planned Parenthood funding

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary, Sylvia Mathews Burwell, was recently grilled by lawmakers on her department’s funding of millions of federal dollars to Planned Parenthood following videos exposing their baby parts operation.

In the hearing on “Reviewing the Policies and Priorities of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services” conducted this week on ObamaCare, the HHS secretary denied that she could do anything to defund the abortion business.

Planned Parenthood has come under fire after three videos were released by the Center for Medical Progress showing the callous way the abortion giant haggles over prices of baby body parts from children they abort, possibly using an illegal procedure, once defended by Hillary Clinton, called Partial Birth Abortion.

You can watch the videos on this blog here, here, and here.

In the Congressional hearing, Secretary Burwell was specifically questioned by two Congressmen who said that they are receiving numerous calls concerned about this issue.

A transcript of the exchange is below:

Congressman Steve Russell: “Given that HHS Provides significant TitleX funding to Planned Parenthood, do you believe personally that the harvesting of infant body parts to be moral.”

Burwell: “So, as I said, this is an issue that has, an important issue that has strong passions and strong beliefs about the important of the research and other beliefs. And what I think is important is that our HHS funding is focused on the issues of preventative care for women. Things like mammograms and cancer prevention screenings. With regard to our relationship there. With regard to the other issues the Attorney General I think right now is under review to make determinations as to what is the appropriate next step.”

She is then grilled again by U.S. Rep. Rick Allen.

U.S. Rep. Rick Allen: “What I want to zero in on is this Planned Parenthood thing. And, I would like some commitment from you here today, on when your department will conduct an investigation on this very very serious matter. Not only is it unconscionable but they’re breaking the law. And it’s a big issue with the people of this country. I mean it’s what I hear about every day. What are we going to do about this? Can you tell me when we’re going to do something about that? “

Burwell: “With regard to the Planned Parenthood issue, um as I said this is an important issue one that there is passion and emotion and belief on many sides of the issue and I want to respect that. With regard to our funding, I think you know, we do not fund abortions at the Federal Government – except- that the Hyde exception has been in place for many years.

“Our funding for Planned Parenthood is in another issue. With regard to the issue you raised, which is a question of whether it’s a legal issue and there are laws, and there are statutes that guide the use of fetal tissue that are in place and should be enforced.

“With regard to investigating or looking into those issues, I said because it is a statutory/legal issue the Department of Justice and the Attorney General has said she has taken those issues under review and will determine what the appropriate next step is.”

U.S. Rep. Rick Allen: “And that would include your investigation, I mean it should be like all hands on deck on this thing?”

Burwell: “With regard to the question of a legal matter and I defer to our colleagues at the Justice Department, we will support them in anything they need or want from us and we always do that, but with regard to making those decisions, the question of an investigation of a legal matter…”

U.S. Rep. Rick Allen: (Interrupted) “So you don’t have personnel that can look into this?”

Burwell: “With regard to what we do have at the Department of HHS is this is not an issue in terms of us funding this specific issue. When we do have issues…”

U.S. Rep. Rick Allen: “You deal with Medicare fraud…”

He is then stopped because his time for questions had expired.

Life Dynamics has documented that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has recently granted $18.75 million in federal money to Planned Parenthood from the Office of Office of Adolescent Health (OAH) under HHS.

Read that here.

In addition to those federal dollars, Life Dynamics has also reported that an additional 5.6 million dollars in federal money was allocated to various Planned Parenthood affiliates under a teen prevention program run by HHS.

Read that here.

Burwell claims that the HHS fudning is for the prevention of pregnancy, but Life Dynamics president Mark Crutcher has told OneNewsNow that Planned Parenthood is not interested in reducing the number of teen pregnancies rather they only want to reduce the number of teens that actually have their babies.

“What you have to understand is that Planned Parenthood’s interest is not in reducing the number of teenage girls that get pregnant,” Crutcher alleges.

“It’s in reducing the number of teenage girls that have babies, and those are two totally different things which they often try to sell as the same thing.”

Crutcher and his team recently documented again how Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry cover child rape.

The latest report, entitled, “The Cover-Up of Child Sexual Abuse” gives horrific criminal case summaries of pedophiles who used abortion to cover their crimes. When sexual rapists take their young victims to an abortion facility or Planned Parenthood center they know that the chances they will be reported to authorities are slim.

The report also shows how the failure of abortion and Planned Parenthood clinics to comply with mandatory reporting laws is harming these minors who are often returned into the arms of their abusers after the abortion.

You can read that report in full here.