President of Planned Parenthood Prepares to Testify before Congress

The president of Planned Parenthood will tell a House committee that she is “proud” of the work the organization does.

According to Fox News, Cecile Richards is expected to testify Tuesday in front of the House Oversight and Government Reform committee. This will be Richards’ first appearance since the organization took the spotlight for controversial videos showing the sale of fetal tissue.

The Center for Medical Progress has released 10 videos that show Planned Parenthood officials describing how they take aborted fetuses’ tissue for researchers.

One of the more shocking videos includes a doctor admitting that the baby’s heart “actually is still beating” at times following abortions.

Planned Parenthood critics argue that the videos show that the organization is breaking federal laws by selling fetal tissue. Planned Parenthood officials have said they have done nothing illegal and the videos have been heavily edited.

David Daleiden, project lead for the Center for Medical Progress, was able to record the videos by posing as an executive for a firm that buys fetal tissue for researchers.

"It is clear they acted fraudulently and unethically—and perhaps illegally," Richards said. "Yet it is Planned Parenthood, not Mr. Daleiden, that is currently subject to four separate congressional investigations."

In prepared testimony, Richards said Planned Parenthood "is proud of its limited role in supporting fetal tissue research."

She adds that only 1 percent of Planned Parenthood’s roughly 700 clinics obtain fetal tissue.

Publication date: September 29, 2015