Press Releases

Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) today issued the following statement after voting in favor of the Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2015 (H.R. 3134) and the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act (H.R. 3504):

“The federal government has no business in directly or indirectly subsidizing abortion, particularly as investigations continue into atrocious, shocking practices – including the apparent sale of organs from aborted babies – allegedly committed and embraced by Planned Parenthood and other organizations.  Additionally, it is basic decency to provide babies who survive abortions with the same quality of care received by those babies who come into this world prematurely.  The Defund Planned Parenthood Act and the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act are simple bills, and are vital in ongoing efforts to support human dignity and respect for life.  I strongly support this legislation and the sanctity of life.”

BACKGROUND:

The Defund Planned Parenthood Act would preclude federal funds from being authorized or appropriated for one year to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. or any of its affiliates or clinics unless these entities certify that during this time period they will not perform or provide funds to other entities that perform abortions.  The legislation provides an exception in cases of rape or incest or in which a woman suffers from a disorder, injury, or illness that a physician certifies would place her at risk of death.  A provision included in the bill would redirect funding currently allocated to Planned Parenthood to Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs).  There are more rural health centers and FQHCs in the Ninth District of Virginia than there are Planned Parenthood locations.  The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act would establish requirements for health care practitioners to exercise the proper degree of care in cases in which a child survives an abortion or attempted abortion.

Several congressional committees, including the Energy and Commerce Committee on which Griffith serves, are investigating Planned Parenthood actions following recently-released videos in which senior level officials affiliated with the organization are seen discussing unethical and potentially illegal procedures.  As part of his committee’s investigation, Griffith and his colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee on September 17 held a hearing entitled “Protecting Infants: Ending Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Providers Who Violate the Law.”  Additional information on that hearing can be found on the committee's website, www.energycommerce.house.gov, and video of Griffith’s questions can be found on his YouTube page, www.youtube.com/RepMorganGriffith. 

Additional information on the House of Representative’s ongoing investigations into Planned Parenthood can be found at www.GOP.gov/plannedparenthood.