Defend Planned Parenthood (Again)

A message from CREDO Action: The extreme anti-choice members of Congress have launched yet another all-out attack on Planned Parenthood.


This time, Congressman Cliff Stearns, as Chairman of a House oversight committee, has initiated a massive investigation into the activities of Planned Parenthood and its affiliates based on the blatantly incorrect assertion by rightwing activists that Planned Parenthood misuses federal funds to pay for abortion services.¹

Reps. Henry Waxman and Dianna DeGette have written a letter to Rep. Stearns, asking him to stop the investigation of Planned Parenthood and accusing him of using this investigation to further his vendetta against Planned Parenthood. This investigation is nothing more than a backdoor tactic to shut clinics down by harassing the organization and creating a significant drain on its management and resources.

Tell Rep. Stearns to stop abusing his position of authority to launch a backdoor attack to shut down Planned Parenthood. Join Reps. Waxman and DeGette in calling for an end to this politically motivated and completely baseless investigation. Click here to automatically sign the petition.

Recent attacks on Planned Parenthood by rightwing extremists in Congress have failed — the Senate blocked both attempts by the House of Representatives to strip Planned Parenthood of its federal funding. They didn't have the votes to defund Planned Parenthood. So now the anti-choice members of the House think they have found another way to wage war against women and Planned Parenthood.

In their letter to Rep. Stearns, Reps. Waxman and DeGette assert that this investigation appears to be "designed to harass and shut down an organization simply because Republicans disagree with the work that it does" and that Rep. Stearns's "fervent ideological opposition to Planned Parenthood does not justify launching this intrusive investigation."²

It's clear that Planned Parenthood and its affiliates have not broken the law. The Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General along with state Medicaid programs already audit Planned Parenthood. These audits have not revealed any pattern of behavior that would warrant Congressional investigation, let alone one of the scope that Rep. Stearns has called for, which is particularly onerous. As the Huffington Post notes, "Stearns gave Planned Parenthood and its 83 affiliates two weeks to provide a full 12 years of audit reports and other documentation."³

Anti-choice members of Congress are using this investigation as another tool in their crusade against Planned Parenthood. If they can't defund the organization, they want to tie up its staff and resources in a politically motivated investigation. We can't let them win.

Tell Rep. Stearns to stop abusing his position of authority to launch a backdoor attack to shut down Planned Parenthood. Join Reps. Waxman and DeGette in calling for an end to this politically motivated and completely baseless investigation. Click here to automatically sign the petition.

Planned Parenthood provides an invaluable service by providing family planning and other vital health care services to women. One in five women in the U.S. have visited a Planned Parenthood clinic at some point in her lifetime. We must stand up against this politically motivated attack on Planned Parenthood to ensure that, once again, the anti-woman forces in Congress fail in their attempt to shut down Planned Parenthood.

Thank you for speaking out.

Becky Bond, Political Director
Ali Rozell, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working Assets

1. "Planned Parenthood Investigation Is An Abuse Of Government Resources, Democrats Charge ," Laura Bassett, Huffington Post, 09-27-2011.
2. "Ranking Members Waxman and DeGette Urge Chairman Stearns to Reconsider Planned Parenthood Investigation," Reps. Henry Waxman and Diana DeGette, 09-27-2011.
3. "Planned Parenthood Investigation Is An Abuse Of Government Resources, Democrats Charge ," Laura Bassett, Huffington Post, 09-27-2011.