(LifeSiteNews) — Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) declared that “Child decapitation, dismemberment and starvation are not health care,” adding, “It is violence—and at a minimum, taxpayers should not be forced to pay for this hideous form of child abuse.” 

Speaking at a “Defund Planned Parenthood” rally on Thursday, longtime pro-life stalwart Rep. Smith didn’t mince words at the outdoor press conference sponsored by Students for Life.  

Smith thanked the organizers and advocates gathered on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol for their “tenacious defense of the weakest and most vulnerable in our society today and for exposing Planned Parenthood – Child Abuse, Incorporated – an organization that has slaughtered over 10 million babies in their clinics and kills more than a thousand defenseless unborn babies each and every day.” 

“For far too long, politicians and much of the media have ignored, trivialized, enabled, and whitewashed the business of Planned Parenthood – decapitating and dismembering helpless babies with sharp knives or poisoning babies with pills that literally starve them to death and often result in their bodies being flushed down a toilet,” said Smith.     

“Federal taxpayers provide Planned Parenthood with nearly $600 million dollars every year. That must end,” said Smith. “Reconciliation legislation offers an important opportunity to stop funding abortion purveyors like Planned Parenthood. This is an opportunity we cannot afford to miss.” 

Smith reminded the crowd of the shocking nature of Planned Parenthood’s program of treating aborted baby body parts as nothing more than a revenue source and of reports of horrific conditions and dehumanizing treatment of women at its facilities. 

“Let’s not forget that undercover videos have exposed in numbing candor several high-level Planned Parenthood leaders gleefully talking about procuring children’s internal organs, all while altering gruesome dismemberment procedures to preserve intact livers, hearts, and lungs from freshly killed babies,” said Smith.   

“In February, the New York Times published an in-depth article detailing horrible clinic conditions, including sewage that seeped into a recovery room for two days, and the shocking treatment women have received, leading to patient complaints and a malpractice suit,” noted the House representative from New Jersey. 

“Our nation should invest in real health care options for women and their families. Federally Qualified Health Centers, for example, provide comprehensive services, including prenatal care, STI testing and treatment,” he averred. A 2022 report found “14 community-based health clinics and pregnancy centers for every one Planned Parenthood facility in the United States, including more locations in rural and underserved communities.” 

“And with love and compassion, the pro-life movement will continue to  tangibly assist women and girls—especially through the extraordinary work of pregnancy care centers,” explained Smith. “There are more than 2,700 pregnancy care centers throughout the United States—each and every one of them an oasis of love, compassion, empathy, respect, and quality care for both mothers and their precious children. According to a January 2025 poll, 83 percent of Americans support these centers, including 80 percent of the individuals who identify as ‘pro-choice.’” 

Smith then highlighted for LifeSiteNews pro-life activist Toni McFadden remarkable testimony at the Capitol Hill press conference:    

“Good afternoon! My name is Toni McFadden, and I’m here to share my personal story—one that reveals exactly why Planned Parenthood must be fully defunded.   

I was a senior in high school when I walked through the doors of Planned Parenthood’s death facility. They had given me a false hope that if I aborted my baby, my parents would never have to find out, my already unstable relationship would have a fighting chance, and my life would go back to normal.    

After receiving an ultrasound and asking the nurse multiple times if I could see the screen that was strategically faced against the wall, she reluctantly showed me but quickly stated that my 7-week-old baby and I quote, “was nothing, just the size of a pea.” 

It would have been too honest of her to tell me that my baby already had a beating heart or that, at the moment of conception, their DNA was unique to them and would never ever be created again.  

Instead of the truth I was given the poisonous chemical Abortion pills. The first set was taken with the abortionist and the second set was given to me to take in the comfort of my home. I was told it would only be like a heavy period.  

I had complications like many women who think this is a simple thing to do. My pills didn’t work correctly and when I called the abortion facility they simply said: “This is why we gave you 2 sets of the pills. Just take the second set and you will be fine.” I wasn’t fine. It would be the last I would hear from them.  

I was so uneducated and had the goal of no one finding out. I ended up experiencing severe hemorrhaging that began while I was in school about a month later.  

I remember when I got home, keeping this secret from my parents. I went to the bathroom to my bed for hours just bleeding.   

If I could go back, knowing what I know now— 

I would give my baby life without hesitation. 

Planned Parenthood didn’t care about me. 

They didn’t care about my baby. 

And they don’t care about women, especially minority women. 

They exploit women for their own financial gain.  

This is why they must be defunded.  

Abortion doesn’t solve our problems—it adds to them.  

Abortion doesn’t bring healing—it leaves deep wounds and lifelong regret. 

No woman should have to walk through what I walked through—  

Believing lies, and left to suffer alone. 

Abortion only reaps one thing: death. 

So today, I stand not just for myself— 

But for every woman who’s been deceived.  

For every child who was never given a chance.  

We must stop funding the lies.

We must stop funding the pain.  

We must stop funding death. 

From the first heartbeat to the final breath, every life holds value. Every soul deserves a chance. Life is a gift worth defending.”