Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards appears before the House Oversight Committee. The committee is investigating Planned Parenthood in connection with a series of sting videos that allege the group illegally sold fetal body parts. (AP Photo)

Pro-Lifers Embarrassed By Planned Parenthood Hearing, Call It ‘GOP Freak Show’

Pro-life conservatives blasted the spectacle on Twitter. The editors of several prominent anti-abortion publications said the questioners were unprepared, incompetent and embarrassing.

by Judd Legum for Think Progress

Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards appears before the House Oversight Committee. The committee is investigating Planned Parenthood in connection with a series of sting videos that allege the group illegally sold fetal body parts. (AP Photo)

Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards appears before the House Oversight Committee. The committee is investigating Planned Parenthood in connection with a series of sting videos that allege the group illegally sold fetal body parts. (AP Photo)

On Tuesday, Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards appeared before the House Oversight Committee. The committee is investigating Planned Parenthood in connection with a series of sting videos that allege the group illegally sold fetal body parts. (That allegation is not supported by the videos or other factual evidence.)

The hearing today started with a tearful speech by Chairman Jason Chaffetz, in which he appeared to blame his mother’s death on Planned Parenthood. Chaffetz argued that federal money granted to Planned Parenthood should be spent on cancer research instead.

When Richards began to testify, she was repeatedly interrupted by Chaffetz and other Republican men on the committee. Here’s a short clip from the Chaffetz Q&A:

Richards, as to be expected, dismissed the hearing as another “baseless attack on reproductive health care.”

But, even among Planned Parenthood’s fiercest critics, the hearing was not received well. Pro-life conservatives blasted the spectacle on Twitter. The editors of several prominent anti-abortion publications said the questioners were unprepared, incompetent and embarrassing.

Townhall editor and Fox News pundit Guy Benson:

Federalist co-founder Sean Davis:

American Spectator digital editor Emily Zanotti:

If Zanotti is looking for a detailed investigation of the controversy, one was produced yesterday by the Attorney General of Missouri. After reviewing 3,500 pages of documentation and conducting in person interviews, the attorney general found “no evidence that [Planned Parenthood] has engaged in unlawful disposal of fetal organs or tissue.”

@2005-2015 CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS ACTION FUND

 

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