Defund Planned Parenthood Act: 6 Alabama House members co-sponsor bill after video controversy
Six members of Alabama's congressional delegation -- all Republicans -- have signed on as co-sponsors of a House bill to defund Planned Parenthood in the wake of two undercover videos that allegedly show higher-ups with the abortion provider discussing selling fetal tissue and organs.
Meanwhile, Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions, Alabama's Republican senators, signed their names to a letter asking the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to confirm that it has begun a review of Planned Parenthood. The senators also wanted to know the "expected scope of the internal review, as well as an estimated completion date."
The House bill, dubbed the Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2015, would institute a one-year moratorium on federal funding for Planned Parenthood. During that time, Congress is expected to investigate the group following the release of the two videos, which were released yesterday and last week. The footage shows high-level Planned Parenthood officials discussing compensation for fetal tissue and methods used to make sure the tissue and organs are intact. Planned Parenthood characterized the videos as a "hoax" and that the tissue being discussed was from mothers donating them for medical research.
The House members from Alabama who are co-sponsoring the bill are: Reps. Bradley Byrne, R-Fairhope; Martha Roby, R-Montgomery; Robert Aderholt, R-Haleyville; Mo Brooks, R-Huntsville; Gary Palmer, R-Hoover; and Mike Rogers, R-Saks. The bill by U.S. Rep. Diane Black, R-Tenn., is being co-sponsored by 79 Republicans and 1 Democrat, although that list could grow.
Roby has been among the most outspoken critics of Planned Parenthood in the House after the videos were made public. The congresswoman fought back tears on the House floor as she expressed her outrage when the first clip surfaced last week. She took to the floor again on Tuesday night, calling it "sick" that one of the Planned Parenthood officials recorded in the videos said the organization needs a "less crunchy option" to get the tissue.
"These doctors sure sound like those that know that there's a competitive black market at play and are willing to engage in illegal activity to tap into it," she said. "This is sickening and it will not go unaddressed. ..I don't care how much weight Planned Parenthood throws around this town, they are not above the law."
Byrne said the developments involving Planned Parenthood "is just unbelievable to me. This is terrible. The idea that they're getting any federal money is just not acceptable."
Black is the sponsor of a similar bill that would deny federal funding to Planned Parenthood and any other entity "providing federal family planning assistance," unless the organizations promises not to perform abortions. All six Republican House members from Alabama are co-sponsors of that legislation.