House Republicans have ramped up their campaign against Planned Parenthood, launching an official congressional investigation into the organization, which provides sexual and reproductive health care to women across the country.
Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., chairman of a House oversight and investigations subcommittee, has asked Planned Parenthood for reams of documents about everything from its accounting practices to its reporting of suspected sexual abuse.
“Since the Planned Parenthood… receives about $1 million a day in taxpayer funds, I sent a letter to the group’s president requesting documents and information as we look at the organization’s use of federal dollars and its compliance with various laws,” Stearns said in a statement to the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN). “Also, with a national debt exceeding $14 trillion, funding of Planned Parenthood should be evaluated with other expenditures to reduce the deficit.”
Stearns’ action won cheers among religious conservatives. “The pro-life movement may be on the verge of scoring another big win that could land huge dividends,” the CBN story stated.
But the move has outraged Democrats, including Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who argue it’s a politically motivated attack designed to undermine women’s access to reproductive health services.
Here’s what Blumenthal had to say in a statement on Wednesday:
“This abusive witch hunt by Republicans is an unconscionable waste of taxpayer dollars, and harassment of a trusted healthcare provider for millions of women and families in Connecticut and across the country. At a time when countless women are out of work and rely on Planned Parenthood more than ever for essential health care, this invasive and baseless investigation is all the more reprehensible, and will only distract from providing health services. As a former prosecutor and state attorney general, I know a frivolous investigation when I see one – Republicans must stop this abuse of power and focus instead on the real issues at hand, creating jobs and growing our economy for the American people.”
Click here to read Planned Parenthood’s own statement about the GOP inquiry.