The first hearing on Planned Parenthood’s alleged "horrific abortion practices" will be held the day after congressional lawmakers return to Capitol Hill from summer recess, the House Judiciary Committee announced Wednesday.
The committee has scheduled the first of several hearings on the controversy surrounding the nation’s largest abortion provider for Sept. 9, less than two months after the nonprofit Center for Medical Progress released the first video of Planned Parenthood officials touting the sale of aborted baby body parts.
The pro-life organization has since released eight videos exposing Planned Parenthood and its partners, the most recent of which suggests that the federal government purchases aborted baby body parts using taxpayer money.
Labeled "Planned Parenthood Exposed: Examining the Horrific Abortion Practices at the Nation’s Largest Abortion Provider," the hearings will supplement the committee’s investigation into the organization which is particularly probing whether or not Planned Parenthood has violated a federal prohibition against partial-birth abortion.
The first hearing, which will be webcast live, will feature testimony from experts, though it remains unclear who has been called to testify.
In announcing the scheduled hearing Wednesday, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R., Va.) and Constitution subcommittee Chairman Trent Franks (R., Ariz.) celebrated it as a chance for the American people "to understand just how horrific these practices are to the unborn."
"Planned Parenthood and its executives must answer for the alleged atrocities brought to light in the videos by the Center for Medical Progress," the lawmakers said in a statement.
The Judiciary Committee is one of four congressional committees investigating the organization in the wake of the videos. Planned Parenthood officials have repeatedly insisted that they have done nothing illegal, accusing the Center for Medical Progress of heavily editing the videos.
According to the Associated Press, Planned Parenthood official Dawn Laguens insisted that the organization knows little about hearing "beyond its provocative title." She also alleged that Planned Parenthood is cooperating with all House investigations.
Ten states are also investigating Planned Parenthood, which receives $500 million in taxpayer dollars. Conservatives have demanded the organization be stripped of federal funding following the video revelations.