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#Republicans gear up to defund Planned Parenthood and tighten abortion laws

Top Republicans are feeling emboldened by a grisly undercover video that cranked up America's abortion wars this week, and are actively preparing to strip Planned Parenthood of federal funding in the coming months.

An aide to a Republican senator predicted Friday morning, speaking on background, that the GOP will soon 'cut the cord' and choke off the group's taxpayer dollars.

GOP congressional leaders see a hot iron to strike following the release of grisly undercover footage that showed the group's medical director casually discussing, in between bites of lunch, how she tailors her abortion procedures so fetal body parts can be preserved for use by private companies.

It's against federal law to buy or sell human fetal tissue. The same law bars abortion providers from changing the timing or methods of their procedures in order to harvest such living tissue.

While some plan a push to defund the nation's largest abortion provider, others will target the procedure itself with a legislative effort to ban all abortions for pregnancies that have reached 20 weeks.

DEFUND: Sen. Rand Paul is pledging to strip all of Planned Parenthood's federal funding in the wake of a video scandal linking the group to the sale of fetal body parts

BUSTED: Dr. Deborah Nucatola, the abortion provider's medical director, was caught in a video sting

GRUESOME: A biologics company linked to Planned Parenthood advertises the sale of liver tissue from aborted human fetuses

Ten states have already barred the transfer of taxpayer dollars to the organization, according to the pro-life group Susan B. Anthony's List. That group includes Wisconsin, whose governor Scott Walker is the latest entrant in the 2016 presidential race.

'We defunded Planned Parenthood, which is particularly important these days in light of what we’ve seen on video,' Walker said during a campaign stop in Amherst, New Hampshire.

Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul, another White House hopeful, said Friday morning that he aims to do the same thing next week in Washington, D.C.

In a statement, Paul's office said the 2016 contender will use 'all legislative vehicles at his disposal' to move the process forward.

'I am more appalled than ever by Planned Parenthood’s complete disregard for the sanctity of human life,' Paul said. 'The recent revelation that this taxpayer-funded organization is selling body parts of the unborn further proves that this agency deserves our scorn, not our tax dollars.'

'I plan to do whatever I can to stop them,' he added, 'and will introduce an amendment to pending Senate legislation to immediately strip every dollar of Planned Parenthood funding.'