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Planned Parenthood videos to be screened at Capitol

by Jesse Byrnes - 09/02/15 2:13 PM ET

A series of undercover videos focusing on Planned Parenthood’s participation in transferring aborted fetal tissue and that have prompted congressional investigations will be screened inside the Capitol on Thursday.

{mosads}The Susan B. Anthony List (SBA), a prominent anti-abortion group that has blasted Planned Parenthood in the wake of the videos, has invited Democratic staffers to attend the late-morning screening.

“No doubt you’ve heard of the recent undercover videos on Planned Parenthood by the Center for Medical Progress,” SBA president Marjorie Dannenfelser wrote in the invitation that was apparently sent out to more than 2,000 Democratic staffers in the House and Senate.

“In addition to sparking a national discussion on defunding Planned Parenthood, these recent videos have reignited discussion about fetal organ harvesting as well as late-term abortion in our country,” Dannenfelser continued, referring to the videos which have been leaked online since mid-July.

The invitation highlighted news reports indicating that many Democrats had said they had not seen the videos, while some had simultaneously weighed in on the controversy.

“As a former Democratic staffer, I want to make sure that you have the opportunity to simply view these videos at a convenient location with no distractions,” wrote Dannenfelser, who previously worked for Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-W.Va.), who left Congress in 2011.

Congress is currently wrapping up its five-week recess, with lawmakers heading back to Washington after Labor Day early next week. The screening also comes as the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday announced its first hearing on Planned Parenthood.

Several congressional committees have started investigating Planned Parenthood in the wake of the videos amid calls for defunding, while the group has maintained it has broken no laws.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, a 2016 GOP presidential candidate, similarly drew attention last month when he screened the videos on a loop outside his mansion.

The Center for Medical Progress has so far released nine videos relating to Planned Parenthood. Its latest, released on Tuesday, focused on one of the group’s partners paying up to $550 per intact fetus.

Tags Planned Parenthood Susan B. Anthony List