Maryland Rep. Andy Harris named to panel investigating Planned Parenthood

"We believe this is a fishing expedition", Planned Parenthood of the Texas Capital Region Chief Executive Officer Ken Lambrecht told a news conference in Austin, calling the request "politically motivated".

The U.S. House of Representatives today passed the "Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act", (H.R. 3762), 240-189.

The Republican-controlled House approved legislation Friday that would undo parts of ObamaCare and block federal funding to Planned Parenthood - though it faces turbulence in the Senate, and a certain veto from President Obama should it reach his desk.

Planned Parenthood blasted the decision to cut Medicaid contracts for providing birth control, cancer screenings, HIV tests and preventative care, noting a federal judge in Louisiana blocked a similar move. Reporters received notice of the contract termination prior to Planned Parenthood affiliates.

Rubio, Cruz and the opposition by at least four other senators brings the Republican support for the bill around 51 votes, just the line the necessary for it to advance. "In fact, even the Department of Justice agreed with us on that issue - that what Planned Parenthood has done is that they have billed for services that were either medically unnecessary or not provided at all". "This alleviates federal coercion of Americans who are forced to purchase health insurance they may object to because it contains elective abortion coverage and removes the threat of punishing fines on employers who decline to violate their deeply held beliefs". There are also 4,000 rural health centers across the country.

Creation of the panel follows last summer's release of undercover videos that anti-abortion activists say show employees of the nation's largest abortion provider trying to make a profit off the sale of tissue and organs from aborted fetuses.

There's been debate about what the videos taken with hidden cameras by the Center for Medical Progress, an anti-abortion group, show about sales of fetal tissue. Bowen said the 24-hour deadline is required by statute, but his office realized it was seeking an enormous amount of information and from the start was willing to give Planned Parenthood an extension. The group recently announced that it will stop accepting payments to cover the costs of procuring fetal tissue for medical researchers.

Planned Parenthood has said the tapes released so far have been deceptively edited and says it has broken no laws. On the other hand, Democratic hopefuls have been supportive of the Planned Parenthood. Harris rejected the idea that the Planned Parenthood films were doctored. According to the Reuters poll, after respondents heard about the videos only 34 percent said federal funding should continue. "I am pleased to see that Colorado's federally qualified health clinics will receive funding to ensure women's access to health care".

At present, federally qualified health centers serve nearly 23 million people per year, while Planned Parenthood serves under three million, Donovan said.

"This is a bill that... has no chance of becoming law", said Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., the senior Democrat on the House Budget Committee. Two House committees have already launched separate investigations into the organization but have not concluded that it took part in illegal activity. Diane Black of Tennessee, Vicki Hartzler of Missouri and Mia Love of Utah.