Congressman Cliff Stearns, a Florida Republican, said a committee he chairs will take the first steps in investigating the Planned Parenthood abortion business over abuses ranging from financial disparities to its compliance with federal regulations on taxpayer funding to concerns that it is covering up cases of sex trafficking.
For background, read Congressional Investigation of Planned Parenthood Considered and also read Left Fears a Take-down of Planned Parenthood
-- From "House Republicans Tell Planned Parenthood to Hand Over Records in Probe of Abortion Funding" by Laurie Kellman, Associated Press 9/27/11
At issue is whether American taxpayers are unwittingly underwriting elective abortions, in violation of federal law. Absolutely not, says Planned Parenthood. But congressional Republicans are not so sure.
Due by the end of the month: internal audits of how much Planned Parenthood received and spent in government money from 1998 to 2010. Stearns also requests any state audits of PPFA for the last 20 years that have not been made public, as well as a description for how "segregation between family planning and abortion services is accomplished," and how the practice is monitored for compliance.
"The American taxpayer does not want to be in the business of abortion, and this investigation is an important first step toward ending public funding of the nation's largest abortion provider," said Charmaine Yoest, president and CEO of Americans United for Life, which earlier this year conducted and presented to Stearns' committee its own study on Planned Parenthood.
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From "Dems hammer GOP's Planned Parenthood funding probe" by Mike Lillis, The Hill 9/27/11
Reps. Henry Waxman (Calif.), senior Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Committee, and Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), the ranking member of the panel's Oversight subcommittee, claim Republicans have "singled out" the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) "as part of a Republican vendetta against an organization that provides family planning and other medical care to low-income women and men."
Current law already prohibits the federal funding of abortion. But Planned Parenthood critics argue that, because money is fungible, there's no practical way for the group to isolate the private funds it receives for abortion services from the [annual $300,000,000+ in] federal funds it receives for contraception and other family-planning programs.
In a Sept. 15 letter to PPFA, Stearns also asked what procedures are in place "to ensure that suspected sex trafficking is reported to the proper authorities."
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From "Planned Parenthood Attacks Congressman Behind Investigation" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com 9/28/11
In a fundraising email [Planned Parenthood president Cecile] Richards sent to the pro-abortion activists who support Planned Parenthood, she aggressively went after Stearns, calling his attempt to hold the abortion business accountable “harassment” and “intimidation.”
Stearns’ letter requests any information related to improper billing related to federally-funded programs, proof that federal funds are not being improperly used to pay for abortions by PPFA or its affiliates, audits by state agencies of any Planned Parenthood affiliate, and documentation of how many affiliates currently receive Title X family planning funding.
The Stearns letter also requests documents on standards and practices related to billing issues, written policies and procedures, and it requests information on how the abortion giant keeps its family planning abortion monies separate and segregated.
Planned Parenthood has come under heavy criticism in recent years for covering up cases of statutory rape by failing to report abortions done on unborn children of teen girls who have been victimized to authorities and by aiding and assisting alleged sex traffickers in obtaining abortions and other “services” for the women and girls they victimize. As such, as the Stearns letter asks for information related to those concerns.
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