http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/255288-dem-blasts-gop-for-misogyny-in-questioning-of-planned-parenthood-execBy Anna Primosch - 09/29/15 12:44 PM EDT
Rep Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) slammed House Republicans for their treatment of Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards during her first appearance on Capitol Hill Tuesday.
Connolly decried the “disrespect" and "misogyny" that he said Richards has faced from Republicans during a more than three-hour hearing. He berated his colleagues for being “rude” and wasting Richards’s speaking time.
The Virginia Democrat's remarks offered a brief respite from the heated exchanges between Richards and other GOP members of the committee.
Several members, including Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wy.), spoke over Richards as she tried to respond to questions, preventing her from answering before her time elapsed.
House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) also sharply criticized Richards for her annual salary of more than $500,000.
Connolly accused of hypocrisy those who question Planned Parenthood’s motives.
“This is not about some bogus video,” Connolly said. “This is about a conservative philosophy that says … we believe in individualism and personal liberty. There’s an asterisk in that assertion … when it comes to women and controlling their own bodies and making their own health decisions.
Richards is the first official from Planned Parenthood to appear on the Hill since a series of sting videos were released in which Planned Parenthood officials discuss fetal tissue donations.
After his remarks, Connolly promptly turned his time over to Richards.
