Barbara Comstock voted to create committee that is intimidating scientists and medical researchers
House Republicans’ “witch hunt” against women’s health access continues with their wasteful Select Committee holding its second hearing of the year this afternoon. Barbara Comstock voted in favor of creating the committee last October, despite the fact that multiple investigations cleared Planned Parenthood of any wrongdoing pertaining to the misleading videos created by anti-choice activists who have since been indicted.
The Republican Select Committee’s brazen efforts to villainize Planned Parenthood, which provides lifesaving health services to many of Northern Virginia’s women and their families, are a retread of the repeated, politically-motivated attacks on the organization that are the hallmark of Congresswoman Comstock’s House Republican conference. The Republican-led committee Congresswoman Comstock voted to create is abusing its power to pursue their anti-women’s health agenda, and it’s wasting hundreds of thousands in taxpayer dollars. But it is no surprise, given that Comstock even took to the floor of the House to remove her name from a bipartisan breast cancer research bill because some of the money could have gone to Planned Parenthood.
And as evidenced by today’s hearing, Republicans are now using the committee to intimidate doctors and medical researchers.
After Republicans on the committee issued subpoenas for the names of medical researchers who work with fetal tissue for research into cancer, Alzheimer’s, and other diseases, hundreds of colleges and universities across the country spoke out against Republicans for jeopardizing the safety of doctors and researchers by demanding this information.
“Barbara Comstock voted to empower the House Republicans’ Select Committee, and now she is responsible for its attacks on women’s health and its abusive subpoenas that could put scientists and graduate students’ safety at risk,” said Jermaine House of DCCC. “Families in Northern Virginia deserve a Member of Congress who will do everything to encourage life-saving medical research. Instead Barbara Comstock has given her Republican colleagues carte blanche to intimidate researchers who are working to find a cure for diseases.”
BACKGROUND
Washington Post Editorial Slammed House Republicans For “Witch Hunt” Of Planned Parenthood That Would Waste Money And Potentially Damage Health Care & Medical Research. “Twelve states that undertook investigations of Planned Parenthood found no wrongdoing. An additional eight states refused even to investigate, citing lack of credible evidence. A grand jury in Texas and a federal judge in California exonerated the organization after each conducted extensive reviews. Three congressional committees failed to turn up any improprieties. In short, the hidden-camera videos purporting to show illegal selling of fetal tissue show no such thing. Despite all that, a Republican-led House panel is undeterred in conducting its own investigation, or, more accurately, witch hunt. Even more troubling than the considerable time and money that will be wasted is the potential damage to health care and medical research.” [Editorial, Washington Post, 2/20/16]
Washington Post Editorial Slammed House Republican Panel For Targeting Doctors, Medical Students & Researchers In Subpoenas. “The coyly named Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives has made sweeping requests (including three subpoenas) for documents and information from more than 30 agencies and organizations that provide abortions or are involved in fetal tissue research. Of particular concern is the panel’s demand for the names of doctors, medical students and researchers involved in performing abortions or conducting research with fetal tissue. Democrats on the panel decried the creation of such a database, which — without rules to protect it from public disclosure — risks individual privacy and safety without legitimate reason. How is the name of a graduate student who five years ago was an intern at a lab relevant to anything?” [Editorial, Washington Post, 2/20/16]
USA Today: “$300,000 allocated to House panel investigating abortion providers.” [USA Today, 11/24/15]