Democrat Rep. Dan Lipinski Supports GOP Planned Parenthood Investigations

Democrat Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL) says he supports House Republicans in their planned investigations into Planned Parenthood following the release of an investigative video that reveals the abortion giant’s participation in the harvesting of aborted baby parts for sale to biomedical companies.

Lipinski, who co-chairs the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus with Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), said, “I’m hopeful that some of the pro-choice Democrats also come out in support of the investigation to find out what’s going on at these clinics,” reports The Hill. “I think everyone should be concerned about it, no matter what your position is on abortion.”

Most congressional Democrats are coming to Planned Parenthood’s defense, however.

Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA) compared the outrage from the pro-life community regarding the video to that over the murder of American diplomats in Benghazi. “It’s got a Benghazi feel to it, for me,” he said.

“They’ve been attacking Planned Parenthood for years,” said pro-abortion Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA). “They’ve been calling for investigations for years.”

Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) expressed more cautious support for Planned Parenthood: “Planned Parenthood has spoken clearly on the specific circumstances surrounding this video, and I will let their experts explain for themselves,” she said. “Circumstances of this video aside, people need to understand the important research that specific tissue types contribute to.”

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce has requested the presence of Planned Parenthood senior medical director Dr. Deborah Nucatola – who was heard in the now-viral video produced by the Center for Medical Progress – at a hearing no later than July 31.

After reviewing the statements Nucatola made in the video, the committee asserted in a letter to Planned Parenthood’s president, Cecile Richards, that the organization’s senior medical director’s statements “raise most troubling questions with regard to your organization’s practices when performing abortions and whether those practices are consistent with federal law, including those laws restricting partial birth abortions and the sale of human fetal tissue.”