Counterpoint: Women, children deserve better than Planned Parenthood

A video investigation has caught several of Planned Parenthood’s top officials eagerly promoting the harvesting of the lungs, livers, heads and hearts of aborted babies, purportedly for research but likely for profit.

Over lunch and red wine, these so-called doctors talk about a daily “huddle” to determine what body parts are in demand and how to obtain them by strategically “crushing” the children’s bodies.

When haggling over the price of organs, one official joked she wanted a Lamborghini. Indeed, Congress has launched an investigation to determine if Planned Parenthood affiliates have done “better than break even” and profited from the sale of baby body parts, which is illegal.

It is also illegal to alter the abortion procedure to better harvest organs — not to mention medically and ethically dubious. Yet, in another video, an official at Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast said: “If we alter our process and we are able to obtain intact fetal cadavers, then we can make it part of the budget. … It’s all just a matter of line items.”

According to Planned Parenthood’s own 2012-2013 annual report, they received more than half a billion dollars from taxpayers. That same year, they performed 327,653 abortions — more than the population of St. Louis. For every adoption referral, they performed 174 abortions (for which they charge several hundred dollars).

That Planned Parenthood would exploit their already lucrative abortion business to make a profit off the remains of aborted babies is a violation of federal law — not to mention basic morality.

Women and children deserve better.

In Congress, I have called for a stop to Planned Parenthood’s inhumane practices and have urged a federal investigation into whether they are breaking trafficking laws. Senate colleagues voted this week to defund them of taxpayer dollars and instead make those $500 million available to comprehensive health centers that provide whole-woman care, not abortions. I cosponsored similar legislation which previously passed the House.

There are 13 times more Federally Qualified Health Centers (9,170) than Planned Parenthood facilities (700) nationwide, serving low income populations in rural and urban areas. In Illinois, 540 health care sites serve 1.1 million individuals a year, versus 18 Planned Parenthood clinics.

Women need more than Planned Parenthood can provide. We should direct taxpayer dollars where they can do the most good.

I urge everyone: watch the videos. Then ask yourself if you want to support this organization with your tax dollars.

Randy Hultgren represents Illinois’ 14th Congressional District.