The Planned Parenthood controversy has continued to simmer all week, shocking millions of Americans at the brutality and inhumanity that lies at the core of the abortion industry. Now, the abortion giant’s allies – and often, beneficiaries – are stepping up to defend the indefensible. A number of Democrats have weighed in that what happened on the video from the Center for Medical Progress – of a top Planned Parenthood official talking about dissecting and selling unborn babies for money – is really no big deal. “It’s got a Benghazi feel to it, for me,” Rep. Scott Peters, D-CA, told The Hill. Incredibly, that’s supposed to make people believe it’s not a scandal. (For Democrats, the murder of an American diplomat in Libya – first ignored, and then spun by the Obama administration, including then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton – is nothing more than a Republican witch hunt. I mean, hey, these things happen.) Another supporter was Rep. Barbara Lee, the Berkeley Democrat who was the only person in Congress to vote against retaliating against the Taliban after 9/11. Lee said Republicans have “been attacking Planned Parenthood for years. They’ve been calling for investigations for years.” Illinois Democrat Jan Schakowsky also said Planned Parenthood’s baby parts business plan “is not illegal.” Schakowsky was the keynote speaker at the 2004 Democratic Socialists of America’s 46th annual Debs-Thomas-Harrington dinner. Meanwhile, a dozen Congressmen have been challenged to return their campaign donations from Planned Parenthood. That number includes 11 Democratic House Members, who accepted a total of $ 84,310 from Planned Parenthood’s PAC since 2013: Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-1), Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-9), Ami Bera (CA-7), Pete Aguilar (CA-31), Raul Ruiz (CA-36), Scott Peters (CA-52), Gwen Graham (FL-2), Patrick Murphy (FL-18), Rick Nolan (MN-8), Sean Maloney (NY-18), and Brad Ashford (NE-2). One Republican, Richard Hanna of New York, who describes himself as “pro-choice” and supports the Equal Rights Amendment, accepted $2,800. “Planned Parenthood hasn’t yet disclosed the amount of cash they’ve received in exchange for the selling of baby parts including heads, hearts, livers, and lungs. But we do know that Planned Parenthood’s PAC has doled out $ 87,110 in campaign contributions to these dozen House Members,” said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council.”We call on these dozen House Members, and any other candidate running for elected office, to return these contributions and call on Planned Parenthood to disclose to taxpayers and Congress the full extent of their role in pain-capable abortions, baby organ harvesting, and partial-birth abortions.” It’s clearly past time to stop the flow of money between politicians and Planned Parenthood in both directions.
