Boehner calls for investigation of 'gruesome' Planned Parenthood video

Boehner
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Wednesday called for an investigation into Planned Parenthood, becoming the latest Republican official to denounce the organization over a video filmed surreptitiously by conservative activists of a Planned Parenthood executive discussing the disposal of fetal organs.

"When an organization monetizes an unborn child — and with the cavalier attitude portrayed in this horrific video — we must all act," Boehner wrote in a statement. He urged President Obama and Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell to "denounce, and stop, these gruesome practices."

Shortly after Boehner released his statement, the House Energy and Commerce Committee said that it would investigate the issue. Federal law prohibits the commercial sale of human fetal tissue. However, The Associated Press reports that "non-commercial tissue donation is allowed if the woman undergoing an abortion gives her consent."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us