Claire Chretien
WASHINGTON, D.C., December 7, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) – The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is officially investigating Planned Parenthood for selling baby body parts, more than two years after the release of the Center for Medical Progress (CMP) videos.
“It is time for public officials to finally hold Planned Parenthood and their criminal abortion enterprise accountable under the law,” said David Daleiden of CMP.
Fox News broke the story Thursday evening, reporting that they had obtained a letter from Justice Department Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs Stephen Boyd to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. This letter asked for unredacted documents from that committee, which had been investigating Planned Parenthood.
“This is long-awaited, good news,” said Abby Johnson, a former abortion advocate and Planned Parenthood director who is now a pro-life activist.
“Planned Parenthood has actively participated in illegal activity, selling the body parts of aborted babies in exchange for profit,” said Johnson. “They’ve lied to the very women they purport to fight for. I saw it first-hand when I worked for the abortion giant and yet, they still manage to obtain over half a billion dollars a year in our tax dollars.”
The Senate Judiciary Committee announced in 2016 that it recommended the FBI and DOJ investigate and possibly prosecute Planned Parenthood, some of its affiliates, and companies involved in the trafficking of young human body parts.
The U.S. House Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives also made 15 criminal referrals against abortion companies including Planned Parenthood, universities, and fetal tissue companies.
Both committees had extensively investigated Planned Parenthood and the fetal tissue trade after the release of CMP’s shocking footage of abortion executives haggling over body parts, picking through dishes of tiny organs, and joking “it’s a boy!” about a freshly-aborted baby.
The videos showed the abortion industry admitting the humanity of preborn babies in the womb by discussing their brains, livers, and other organs.
“The stark evidence points to the need for this further Department of Justice investigation to uncover the entire truth about Planned Parenthood’s sale of baby body parts,” said Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council. “The fact that DOJ is requesting unredacted information shows they are serious about its investigation.”
“Congress should immediately halt any money to the abortion giant until the FBI completes their investigation,” urged Johnson.
“We applaud the Department of Justice for finally moving towards investigating Planned Parenthood for their illegal and unethical behavior,” said Kristan Hawkins, President of Students for Life of America. She said taxpayers have had “enough” of funding the trafficking of human body parts and the commission of crimes.
“Given this investigation, Congress should refuse to give another cent of its over $400 billion in annual federal funding to Planned Parenthood,” said Perkins. “The Republican-controlled Congress did this in 2015 on a reconciliation bill with 51 Senate votes which Obama vetoed. They can do so again on a reconciliation bill now that there is a pro-life president in the White House.”
Despite Republican majorities in the U.S. House, U.S. Senate, and White House – and many political promises to defund Planned Parenthood in 2017 – the abortion giant continues to receive massive amounts of tax dollars through Medicaid and Title X grants.
Daleiden noted that both Congressional investigations “confirmed that Planned Parenthood Federation of America, several of their biggest affiliates, and multiple business partners broke the law in a profit-driven scheme to commodify dismembered baby body parts.”
Daleiden has faced gag orders, lawsuits, and felony charges from the abortion industry and its political allies. The outcome of some of these has not yet been determined.
