A federal investigation into Planned Parenthood has been launched by the Justice Department over the sale of fetal tissue.
Justice Department Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs, Stephen Boyd, formally demanded that the Senate Judiciary Committee hand over unredacted documents relating to the transfer of fetal tissue by abortion provider Planned Parenthood.
“The Department of Justice appreciates the offer of assistance in obtaining these materials, and would like to request the Committee provide unredacted copies of records contained in the report, in order to further the Department’s ability to conduct a thorough and comprehensive assessment of that report based on the full range of information available,” Boyd wrote in a letter obtained by Fox News.
It was also reported that the FBI as well had requested the documents from the committee which led the congressional probe into the women’s health organization.
Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein asked for a letter assuring them that the documents would only be used as part of a federal investigation, not in a formal legal proceeding. Boyd provided the letter and the needed assurance.
Grassley said in the committee’s 2016 final report “Human Fetal Tissue Research: Context and Controversy” that enough evidence was discovered to prove that abortion providers had transferred fetal tissue and body parts from aborted fetuses for research by charging amounts higher than the actual cost.
“The report documents the failure of the Department of Justice, across multiple administrations, to enforce the law that bans the buying and selling of human fetal tissue,” Grassley wrote calling on the DOJ and the FBI to open an investigation.
He added that the report “also documents substantial evidence suggesting that the specific entities involved in the recent controversy, and/or individuals employed by those entities, may have violated that law.”
According to Reuters, the Justice Department’s investigation will probably reignite the controversy surrounding fetal tissue transfers, sparked by videos released in 2015 by the anti-abortion group Center for Medical Progress.
The group said that the videos showed Planned Parenthood officials negotiating prices for fetal tissues collected from abortions, but Planned Parenthood maintained the videos were edited and misleading.
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