This is from a Member of Congress to House Speaker John Boehner asking for further investigation into Planned Parenthood. She lays out their series of violations, which are inexcusably ignored by the mainstream media. I like this political strategy: calling for official Congressional hearings on this despicable organization.
Dear Colleague:
Please see the following letter I sent respectfully calling for Congressional hearings on Planned Parenthood. This is a very important issue that I wanted to bring to your attention.
Sincerely,
Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)
Dear Speaker Boehner:
Based on several reports and mounting evidence regarding Planned Parenthood’s numerous improprieties, I am respectfully requesting that we move forward with a full-scale series of Congressional hearings to expose the damage Planned Parenthood has caused to our nation. In the House Republican Pledge to America we committed to honor life and we promised: “to make government more transparent in its actions, careful in its stewardship, and honest in its dealings.” To hold true to those commitments, this Congress must move forward the investigations of Planned Parenthood to ensure it is held fully accountable.
Several months have passed since the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations first initiated its investigation into Planned Parenthood under the leadership of Congressman Cliff Stearns. I was pleased that the actions of Planned Parenthood rose to the Committee’s attention and that it was determined the Committee should move forward to review and investigate.
We have been made aware of reports that last year Planned Parenthood received $487 million in federal, state, and local funding. At the same time, Planned Parenthood topped $1 billion in total net assets while abortions made up 91% of their pregnancy-related services.
Last December, several former officers and employees of Planned Parenthood blew the whistle on their former employer. These former employees called out Planned Parenthood for failing to: segregate taxpayer dollars in a way that is required under federal law; failing to give parental notification in cases of statutory rape and human trafficking; failing to stop or adequately address coercion at their facilities; and failing to keep financial records in compliance with state and federal laws.
Just yesterday, the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) and the Susan B. Anthony List released a groundbreaking report to Congress that already identifies nearly $8 million in waste, abuse, and potential fraud by Planned Parenthood. Their report states that: “Planned Parenthood’s primary motivation is to take advantage of ‘overbilling’ opportunities to maximize its revenues in complex, well-funded federal and state programs that are understaffed and rely on the integrity of the provider for program compliance. Thus, Planned Parenthood’s primary motivation appears not to be to provide quality healthcare to patients who seek family planning services, but rather to enhance its profits.” The report also found that federal audits of family planning programs from 1995 to 2009 reached almost $88 million in overbilling, with the sum rising as high as $99 million according to the Inspector General’s Office at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
If Planned Parenthood is defrauding the Treasury to meet its abortion quota then the American people deserve answers in an open and transparent series of Congressional hearings. Congress needs to take leadership now. House Republicans shouldn’t settle for inaction in the face of injustice. Please join me to make sure we don’t leave this growing scandal left unchecked.
Sincerely,
Marsha Blackburn
cc: House GOP Conference
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