Rep calls for House hearing on Planned Parenthood following death
The chairman of the U.S. House committee conducting an investigation of Planned Parenthood is now calling for a public hearing in light of the death of Tonya Reaves last week after a second-trimester abortion at a Chicago Planned Parenthood.
Congressman Cliff Stearns, Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, told Fox News Planned Parenthood has been stonewalling his investigation, and he now wants to “put them under oath”:
“I would like to find out how they spend our half a billion dollars, and I would also like to explore some of the safety aspects, particularly in light of this death, of this tragedy.”
Stearns claims that since he launched a congressional probe, all he’s gotten are thousands of pages of irrelevant documents and no answers to his questions.
Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood of Illinois could only go so far as to post an insulting, blameless, ambiguous tweet about Reaves’ death, with a link to an equally insulting, blameless, ambiguous Facebook post:
I was glad to read calls to Reaves’ family are now being answered by a personal injury attorney. I hope the family sues Planned Parenthood’s deep pockets off.
[HT: Rich]
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
Will he also call for hearings every time someone dies in a hospital for some other reason? And, I thought this is a local matter. I am sure this “states rights” hypocrite will claim the tenth amendment for some other issue.
These antiabortion sickos need to be voted out of office. Speaking of antiabortion sickos, here’s the Dominican Republican for you:
“Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (CNN) — In the Dominican Republic, a ban on abortion is preventing a teenage girl from receiving treatment for a life-threatening disease.
At the Semma Hospital in the captial city of Santo Domingo, a 16-year-old girl is dying of acute leukemia. Doctors say the girl, whose name is being withheld to protect her privacy, needs an aggressive chemotherapy treatment. But there’s one problem: the teenager is nine weeks pregnant and treatment would very likely terminate the pregnancy, a violation of Dominican anti-abortion laws.
Rosa Hernandez, the girl’s mother, is trying to convince doctors and the Dominican government to make an exception so that her daughter’s life can be saved. “My daughter’s life is first. I know that [abortion] is a sin and that it goes against the law … but my daughter’s health is first,” Hernandez said.”
Jeremy, Cliff Sterns requested a public hearing of Planned Parenthood a long time ago, since PP and its affiliates receive millions of $ of our tax money and has been involved in many frauds, support of illegal sex trafficking, support of gender-based abortion, improper billing, etc.
Hospitals, in general, don’t receive millions of tax $ and yet if there’s medical wrongdoings they are sued.
Why are you afraid of having a public hearing of Planned Parenthood?
They should be afraid of nothing, if they have nothing to hide!
Jeremy,
I’ve learned over the years to be highly skeptical of these reports. More than once over the years I have seen facts distorted to serve a political purpose and generate hysteria.
You may not remember the case of the “illegal abortion” of Becky Bell that supposedly resulted in her death. Of course there was the usual proabortion hysterics and feminist howling. Her parents were paraded for the political points it would score. How could anyone feel anything other than sympathy and support for them?
Turned out Becky never had an abortion, illegal or legal, but rather a miscarriage, and she died of an unrelated pneumonia.
I work in a hospital and we must must adhere to strict federal guidlines. Violate them and we hear from the feds.
BTW Jeremy,
Have you heard any feminist hysterics over the death of this young mother at PP? They sure went through the death throes over Becky Bell. Far be it from me to suggest these ladies are motivated by politics and not the safety and lives of women.
Will he also call for hearings every time someone dies in a hospital for some other reason?
Probably not. Most hospital deaths are not linked to organizations that are under congressional investigation.
And, I thought this is a local matter. I am sure this “states rights” hypocrite will claim the tenth amendment for some other issue.
Calling him a hypocrite, even if it’s true, doesn’t negate his charges.
These antiabortion sickos need to be voted out of office.
Trust me, they’re politicians. They’ve been called worse things by better people.
The rest of the Dominican Republic story can be found here:
http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/25/world/americas/dominican-republic-abortion-teen/index.html
Some things left out of your post:
Some Dominican opposition lawmakers say there should be a new debate over the abortion ban in the Caribbean country and the problems created by the constitutional ban go beyond this case. Opinion leaders like former representative Victor Terrero say clandestine abortions are also putting the lives of many women at risk.
That is, supporters of legal abortion are using the case to argue for abortion on demand, as evidenced by their claims of back-alley abortions. Such claims are always highly exaggerated. They also rest on one of two assumptions: a fetus is not a human being, or the law should be faulted for making it more dangerous to kill innocent human beings. The former is controversial, the latter is absurd. Making such specious arguments for emotional appeal undercuts one’s credibility.
Also from CNN:
Pelegrin Castillo, one of the architects of Article 37, says the constitutional ban does not prevent doctors from administering the treatment. It does, however, prevent them from practicing an abortion in order to treat the patient with chemotherapy.
“It’s an artificial debate,” Castillo said. “What we have clearly said is that in this case doctors are authorized by the constitution to treat the patient. They don’t have to worry about anything. They have the mandate of protecting both lives.”
So it would seem that she’s going to get her treatment very soon. Notably missing from the CNN report are critical details regarding her prognosis, how long she has had to wait so far, and how many times this has happened. It walks and quacks like a manufactured controversy. I would wager that we never hear about her again, as the story won’t fit the media narrative (evil conservative ideologues that have no problem with letting a scared teenager die of cancer, an example of what will happen if abortion ever becomes illegal in North America).
Thank you Navi,
You very well point out why we should always get the story behind the story.
Also, even when abortion laws were at their strictest in the United States, exceptions were made for the life of the mother.
Mary:
Correct. The life of the mother is given priority in any pro-life legislation in the U.S. and procuring abortion under these circumstances (to save the life of the mother) is NOT considered a sin in the Catholic Church. That said, as you know, it is very, very rare that such an instance would occur.
Jeremy’s comment on “anti-abortion sickos” is really quite pathetic. Most of our trolls at least pull back a bit on that punch, but Jeremy’s diatribe reveals something deeper…like perhaps being involved in an abortion in some way.
Speaking of trolls Mary I would like your opinion. It seems that we have different species of trolls and perhaps it would be useful to have a way to categorize them. For example among men there are the snobby liberal types who can’t abide for anyone daring to be critical of another’s “choice”. Then there are men who have had girlfriends who turn up pregnant one day and they gallantly provide the money to “take care of the problem”. Then we have the pure narcissists, something like the man who currently occupies the White House. These types see women as mainly sexual vessels and thus they have an intrinsic revulsion to moral absolutes.
I am a bit hard on men because as a man I think if we do nothing else with our lives we should at least protect the vulnerable and the weak.
As for female trolls one category we see alot of here are those who huff and puff indignant that anyone (especially men) would dare to impose their “ignorance” on their lives and their bodies. These are an interesting lot as they continue to bombard their systems with harmful chemicals and ignore any talk that abortifacients and abortions could have a harmful effect on them. These types, when seen at abortion clinics, are usually the most vile in their comments and gestures. It is really sad becuase if they could save themselves alot of suffering if they would listen to our pleas that they take care, but they would rather flip us the bird. A real classy bunch of ladies.
Then there are those who are just stone cold–seeing everything through the lens of militant feminism. These make fine employees of abortion mills and pretend that all is fine even as they ignore feelings of emptiness in their lives. These are the true warriors, they shut themselves away from the reality of the sacredness of human life and nothing will dissuade them from their convictions. These are intellectually dishonest and emotionally dead.
Well, you see a few categories. There are probably other categories and then subsets of each. It could make for an interesting doctoral thesis.
Jeremy,
The truth really bites doesn’t it?
Uh no, Jeremy its your side that perpetrated this lie from day one. Do a little research. Better yet, tell me exactly how this “illegal abortion” was performed and the medical evidence you have to back it up. Its your side that takes the prize for disgusting.
Jeremy,
Permit me to present you with the facts, then we will continue this discussion on “disgusting”
http://www.gargaro.com/beckybell.html
Jeremy, first of all I think you should moderate your language, especially your “name-calling” practice!
My way of thinking and values might be disgusting to you, but I am not a phony in any way or fashion.
So, your “labels” and accusations are completely baseless and not warranted.
Second, people on this blog have replied to your original post with thoughts or question. For example, I asked you “why are you afraid of having a public hearing with Planned Parenthood” However, you have not made any significant contribution and replied with baseless accusations.
I suggest that you change your behavior and blog style, otherwise personally I will ignore your comments (that is why the references to “trolls” in some posts).
Ciao.
Jeremy, on the other hand, if you are really attached to your blogging style, I would suggest you try Huffington Post, New York Times, MSNBC, and the like. You might find the replies you’re looking for!
Hi Jerry,
Well my opinion, straight out of the what its worth department, on trolls is that we get a great variety and I enjoy them all. The historically challenged are always my favorite. Being old and broken down, I remember much history and I love to confuse them with historical facts. Then we get those who believe everything they hear and read. Now, old age, experience, and making a fool of myself more times than I care to admit to, have taught me to take a little extra time to get your facts. People don’t make a fool of you by gving you the facts, you make a fool of yourself by not having them in the first place.
You learn a lot more listening than you do forever shooting off your mouth.
As for doctoral thesis Jerry, wayyyyy over my head. I just apply life’s lessons and experiences. There is so much I would undo, and if the knowledge I have had to acquire the hard way can benefit anyone, great.
Hi Jerry,
You are certainly correct about the life of the mother taking priority. Having worked in Catholic hospitals more years than I want to admit to, I have seen my share of ectopic pregnancies, emergency premature C-sections, etc. Never have I seen the life of a mother compromised or called into question. Thankfully in this day and age risks can be kept to a minimum but I have also watched mothers die despite every effort made to save them. We’ve gotten very spoiled by modern technology and medical cae and think women cannot die from pregnancy complications. They can and do. Pregancy deserves to be treated with the respect it deserves, and the risks it poses. I haven’t scored points in the past pointing this out.
If the baby dies as a result of the mother’s cancer treatment, that is a secondary effect from trying to save her life. It is unfortunate. The intent of the doctor was not to kill the baby but to treat the mother. The deliberate and intentional killing of an innocent human being is what makes abortion intrinsically evil. There is a difference, which is lost on most abortion supporters.
” Having worked in Catholic hospitals more years than I want to admit to, I have seen my share of ectopic pregnancies, emergency premature C-sections, etc. Never have I seen the life of a mother compromised or called into question.”
Then why was a Catholic nun excommunicated for her decision, as president of an Arizona Catholic hospital, to allow an abortion based on the life of the mother?
CC,
Like I told Jeremy, check into any account like this very thoroughly. Please give the name of the nun, the hospital, the circumstances of the woman, etc.
CC,
I’ll do your research for you. If this is the situation you are referring to, this article explains there were two sides to this story, which of course would go unreported.
http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=36604
Mary:
Thanks for your comments…I always enjoy. As you know the troll, CC, has a particular animus against the Catholic Church. I guess there could be a category of trolls that fit under the label of “anti-Catholic”.
Jerry, interesting…
While I was reading your comment I thought that maybe “CC” could stand for “Catholic Church”.
How ironic!
Funny I never see cc on the Catholic online threads… Hey, cc, what name do you use over there?
My sympathies go out to the family of her family. This is a tragedy to be sure.
My problem with this story is the complete lie about how patient information was held back and that delay caused this woman’s death… That is 110% B.S. The minute the paramedics arrived on the scene they would be informed on what was going on with the patient they were called in for by attending staff at the health center. No 2 ways about it as that is the very first thing paramedics ask and they relay that info via radio to the hospital they are taking the patient to so that they are ready to receive.
I am sure the ER doctor would love to place the blame for his failure on someone else but we know better. Accidents and complications can happen in any medical procedure performed anywhere just ask Kanye West’s mom…
Biggz,
I can’t find your source. Is it possible the paramedics were not accurately informed when the 911 call was placed and that is the inaccurate information they are referring to?
That happened with Tiller. They were doing a resuscitation on a patient but told 911 they only needed a transport, after putting them on hold!
I would appreciate any clarification you can give me. Thanks
Biggz,
I would suggest that you and others go to http://www.operationrescue.org for extensive information concerning this death. Apparently Ms. Reaves suffered complications 5 hours before the paramedics were even called. This is documentation, not personal opinions of OR. You will read direct quotes from the ER physician concerning this case.
Oh and Biggz, paramedics would report the condition they find the patient in, they would not necessarily know she was still retaining fetal tissue or that her uterus was perforated. They are more busy trying to stabilize the patient and transport her ASAP.
Biggz,
Its possible the PP staff weren’t even certain what the problem was. The paramedics would be busy trying to stabilize the patient and transport her ASAP.
Yes but the PP staff would tell the Paramedics what procedures were being performed because they would ask anyway within the first 30 seconds of arrival on scene. Given the circumstances, non-discharged fetal tissue and perforated uterus would be the very first thing a decent ER doctor would look for…
There is no way that the PP staff just stood there shrugging their shoulders while the paramedics were trying to stabilize the patient. Now it is entirely plausible that this information was not relayed in the 911 call because all PP’s know that you anti-choice people monitor those so you can post what you hear on the internet with no regard for the family of the patient’s privacy. That is why they hold up sheets to block your view. It is not to protect PP but rather to protect patient’s right to privacy so they don’t have their pictures posted on the internet without permission. You do know PP has signed legal permission forms filled out by the patient giving them permission to perform medical procedures…
Did any of you bother to ask permission from her family to post her picture and medical info on the internet?
Thanks Mary for the link to the article by Operation Rescue it helped to clarify things a lot. I worked in healthcare and knew that there was a lot more to this story because healthy women don’t bleed to death quickly during recovery. They couldn’t get the bleeding to stop because they perforated her uterus and left fetal parts inside her uterus then they farted around for at least 4 hours too long trying to treat her themselves instead of transferring her out to the hospital to get her properly diagnosed and treated. She did not have to die but this is PP the money making abortion mill factory who promises every women a dead baby unfortunately she ended up with a dead baby at the cost of her own life. I wonder how much she had to pay them up front for the D & E abortion? Anybody know? Just curious what they cost these days. Hey mods i think this story is worth a follow up post regarded who is investigating this botched and what is being done about it.