Former Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) wants the federal government to revoke the nonprofit status of abortion provider Planned Parenthood (PP), as well as its associated political action organization.
Perry’s move comes in response to a series of undercover videos by the Center for Medical Progress that showed PP’s employees appearing to discuss and engage in selling organs and tissues from aborted babies for profit. So far, four videos have been released (See here, here, here, and here for Breitbart News’ coverage), and more are promised soon.
At least one other video is known to exist and has been provided to the Texas Attorney General’s Office, where it is the subject of an investigation. Efforts to defund PP of taxpayer dollars — the group reportedly receives more than $540 million each year in federal funding — have been renewed in Congress.
“We can no longer allow the atrocities committed by an organization that receives state and federal tax dollars, and that receives special tax treatment from the federal government,” said Perry.
Qualifying charitable and other nonprofit organizations are eligible to receive a designation under Section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code, and thereby avoid paying income taxes on their earnings. In Perry’s statement released today, he referenced the IRS scandal, where conservative and tea party groups were unfairly targeted, their nonprofit applications rejected or delayed, and their members subject to highly invasive inquiries.
Perry had previously called for defunding PP, and renewed that call after the first video was released. As Breitbart News reported, he called the video “a disturbing reminder of [Planned Parenthood’s] penchant for profiting off the tragedy of a destroyed human life.”
Gov. Perry’s full statement:
With the release of a fourth video showing a Planned Parenthood doctor discussing the sale of body parts from aborted babies, the organization’s carefully constructed façade continues to crumble. We can no longer allow the atrocities committed by an organization that receives state and federal tax dollars, and that receives special tax treatment from the federal government. That is why today, I am calling for the revocation of the federal nonprofit charters of the Planned Parenthood Federation Of America and its political wing, Planned Parenthood Action.
The Obama Administration targets groups with the word “patriot” in their name but does nothing to an organization that cuts apart and sells the body parts of dead babies. This cannot stand. It is long past time for the mirage around Planned Parenthood’s true activities to fade.
Follow Sarah Rumpf on Twitter @rumpfshaker.