Pro-abortion lawmakers fail to kill House panel investigating Planned Parenthood

On Tuesday, pro-abortion lawmakers on the House Appropriations Committee lost a vote to shut down the federal investigation of Planned Parenthood over its sale of aborted babies’ remains.

Last week, Democrats called for disbanding the Select Panel on Infant Lives, citing its recent subpoena of late-term abortionist LeRoy Carhart as an example of overstepping its original scope. Minnesota Democrat Betty McCollum introduced an amendment to the latest government appropriations bill that would have done so, but the Committee defeated the amendment 20-28.

Republican Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, who leads the select panel, maintains that the recent inquiries into Carhart’s notorious record fall within the scope of its mission to review second- and third-trimester abortions, the care of born-alive infants after attempted abortions, and an overall “obligation to protect the most vulnerable at all stages of life.”

Republican Andy Harris of Maryland also spoke out in defense of the panel, declaring that members of Congress should be “incensed by the way this congressional investigation is being treated by those from whom we seek data,” going on to provide examples of how heavily unidentified entities (likely abortionists) had redacted documents they provided to the panel:

Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) defends Select Panel on Infant Lives at appropriations markup

One Republican voted for the Democrat amendment to kill the investigation: David Jolly of Florida, who is currently running to replace Marco Rubio in the Senate. Jolly claimed he supports investigating Planned Parenthood but “we already have had three panels look into the matter and we don’t need a fourth.” In response, Susan B. Anthony List president Marjorie Dannenfelser declared Jolly had “betrayed the pro-life movement” and “disqualified himself” in the upcoming primary.