Hillary Clinton: Planned Parenthood videos 'disturbing'

Hillary Clinton said Tuesday that Planned Parenthood has some questions to answer regarding graphic undercover videos that accuse the women’s health organization of selling fetal tissue.

“I have seen pictures from them and obviously find them disturbing,” Clinton in an interview with the New Hampshire Union Leader.


But Clinton, who has collected campaign donations from the people connected with the organization, also praised Planned Parenthood’s work, even as she distanced herself from the broader questions surrounding the use of fetal tissue.

“Planned Parenthood for more than a century has done a lot of really good work for women: cancer screenings, family planning, all kinds of health services. And this raises not questions about Planned Parenthood so much as it raises questions about the whole process, that is, not just involving Planned Parenthood, but many institutions in our country,” the Democratic frontrunner said. “And if there’s going to be any kind of congressional inquiry, it should look at everything and not just one (organization).”

Clinton, who has supported a woman’s right to an abortion, said that the group’s funding is at no more of a risk than it has been in the past, despite a spate of new Republican efforts to strip Planned Parenthood of taxpayer money.

“I’m well aware that passions are very high,” Clinton said. “I have said for more than 22 years that abortion should be legal, safe and rare. As first lady, I led an effort to try to lower the number of teenage pregnancies and we succeeded, and as president I will continue to work toward that so that women are fully empowered, they can afford to make responsible decisions, and I hope we will be successful at that.”

Republican presidential candidates have called for Clinton to denounce the organization. At a Capitol Hill rally Tuesday organized by Students for Life of America, an anti-abortion group, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) called for Clinton to return any money she had received from people linked to Planned Parenthood.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) also joined the call to action.

“I call upon our friends in the mainstream media to ask Hillary Clinton if she is pleased that she has so much passionate support from Planned Parenthood, an entity that appears to be a national criminal enterprise,” Cruz said at the rally. “I call upon mainstream reporters to ask Hillary Clinton if she supports Planned Parenthood’s sale of body parts in direct violation of federal criminal law.”

On Tuesday, Senate Republicans introduced a bill that would cut off all government funding to Planned Parenthood.

Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Paul introduced the legislation; 20 other senators have signed on as co-sponsors, including Cruz and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Senate Democrats and at least one Republican, Sen. Susan Collins, are against the legislation.

This article tagged under: Hillary Clinton