“This Congressional investigation is right on track. Abundant probable cause supports the Congressional investigation in whether Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry’s trafficking in the remains of unborn children violates federal law,” said AUL attorney Anna Paprocki.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (04-19-16) – “U.S. law requires that the mortal remains of human beings be treated with respect. A human person is not to be thrown into a landfill or dismembered and sold for parts,” noted Anna Paprocki, Staff Counsel at Americans United for Life, as the Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives held a hearing on whether abortion clinics and middlemen businesses were illegally profiting from the trafficking of the remains of unborn children, dismembered and sold for parts after abortions. She continued: “Abundant probable cause supports the Panel’s investigation into the abortion industry’s practice of harvesting baby hearts, lungs, and brains in exchange for money. Planned Parenthood senior officials have been caught on camera explaining the compensation they take for harvesting baby body parts, exclaiming that ‘if they can do a little better than break even, and do so in a way that seems reasonable, they’re happy to do that.’ Doing better than breaking even is illegal under federal law, no matter how happy that profit might make Planned Parenthood.”
As AUL has extensively documented, the videos released by the Center for Medical Progress (CMP) raise probable cause to investigate the violation of six federal laws, including 42 U.S.C. §289g-2(a), which prohibits any person from receiving valuable consideration for fetal tissue.
Ms. Paprocki explained that the Panel’s investigation is especially warranted given the consistent theme in the comments made by Planned Parenthood officials to undercover reporters that their primary concern was creating the perception that they are following the law and not whether they do, in fact, receive valuable consideration in exchange for the body parts of the babies it aborts.
“Chairman Marsha Blackburn was absolutely right when she explained that ‘Congress has a duty to taxpayers to find the facts and get to the bottom of what is going on,’” said Paprocki.
“Instead of the transparency and accountability that we should expected from an organization that receives a half a billion dollars of taxpayer funding each year, Planned Parenthood has taken a brazen ‘above the law’ attitude. Planned Parenthood’s response to serious allegations has been to issue statements crafted by PR firms that dodge and distract from the facts and bully those who attempt any genuine inquiry into the truth.”
To watch the hearing on line, click here.
For more on AUL’s analysis on Planned Parenthood and the issues surrounding the disturbing videos showing their employees and associates discussing fetal tissue trafficking, click here. To learn more about AUL’s Planned Parenthood monitoring, click here.
