The Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee held its first in a series of hearings on Planned Parenthood Wednesday following an anti-choice group’s release of heavily edited videos targeting the organization. The videos show Planned Parenthood employees discussing the sharing of fetal tissue with researchers. Speaking at the hearing, Democratic Congressmember Jerrold Nadler of New York said Planned Parenthood’s practices are legal.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler: “The laws surrounding fetal tissue donation are simple and clear. Planned Parenthood has consistently and clearly demonstrated that the affiliates who participate in fetal tissue research, which represent about 1 percent of all 700 Planned Parenthood health centers in just two states, comply with these laws, just as they comply with thousands of other federal, state and local laws and regulations every single day. That should be the conclusion of this hearing. But instead, before any inquiry, this committee has already declared Planned Parenthood guilty and chosen to capitalize on the sensational, unsubstantiated smears made in a series of unethical, possibly illegal, videos. The goal here is clear: to smear Planned Parenthood. Senator Joseph McCarthy would be proud of this committee today.”

Planned Parenthood was not invited to testify at the hearing on Planned Parenthood.