Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Hoover) had a run-in with U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), the chairwoman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, during a hearing responding to the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision that overturned the abortion-legalizing decision Roe v. Wade.

Palmer attempted to show the “Hand of Hope” photograph, taken in 1999 by Michael Clancy at Vanderbilt University Medical Center during open fetal surgery that showed an unborn infant grasping a physician's hand.

Palmer managed to get a poster of the photo shown briefly during the hearing before DeGette gaveled him down and reminded him that visual elements used in such hearings had to be approved with unanimous consent.

“Dr. Francis, I want to show a poster," Palmer said. "This is world-renowned. It’s gone in all types of magazines.”

“The gentleman will suspend,” DeGette said while rapping her gavel. “And the staff will take down that picture. In this committee, we admit documents or photographs on unanimous consent bases.”

"I accept the chair’s ruling,” Palmer responded.

“Excuse me, this has not been shown to the majority," DeGette interjected. "It has not been agreed to, and there’s no foundation. And we will not allow it to be displayed, and we will not allow it to be submitted for the record.”

“I’m not surprised at all that you wouldn’t want to show this photo of an in-utero surgery in which the child being operated on grasped the finger of the doctor doing the surgery,” Palmer quipped. “That picture was taken in 1999.”

“Having not seen the photo, I cannot comment on as to what it is,” DeGette replied. “The gentleman decided not to share it with the majority.”

To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email jeff.poor@1819News.com.

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