PPFA’s involvement in infant body parts trafficking must be thoroughly investigated, says AUL

Americans United for Life President and CEO Dr. Charmaine Yoest today sent a letter and detailed legal response to multiple committees and top legal authorities in Congress, now currently investigating the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), following release of videos indicating PPFA's involvement in lucrative infant body parts trafficking. "Given the fact that half-a-billion dollars each year flows from beleaguered taxpayers to the highly profitable national abortion industry leader Planned Parenthood, an investigation into troubling questions raised by videos is required to assess whether laws have been broken," noted Dr. Yoest.

In her letter, Yoest noted that AUL's attorneys have reviewed in detail the transcripts and unedited video footage of the seven videos released by CMP for the period beginning July 14, 2015 and ending on August 25, 2015 and have prepared the attached memorandum summarizing the salient facts related to possible unethical and illegal activity by PPFA in order to assist Congressional Committees and staff during the important process of examining the practices and policies of PPFA and its affiliates. The letter and legal document went to Senator Chuck Grassley – head of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Senate Judiciary Staff as well as all Senate Republicans, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the House Judiciary Committee and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

"I am writing to ask you to pursue a thorough investigation and hold Congressional hearings to provide a public forum for these important questions. In their own letter to Congress, Planned Parenthood alleges that the videos have been 'heavily edited' and that they provide a false portrayal of the organization's activities," Dr. Yoest wrote. "However, we believe that a close viewing of the full videos provides an even more troubling picture than does the edited versions."

The legal memorandum documents specific statements made by current and former employees of PPFA and tissue procurement companies which raise probable cause that PPFA violated one or all of the following federal laws regarding: I. Receiving valuable consideration for providing fetal tissue, 42 U.S.C. Section 289g-2(a); II. Altering abortion procedures to obtain fetal tissue, 42 U.S.C. Section 289g-1; III. Obtaining informed consent for fetal tissue donation, 42 U.S.C. Section 289g-1; IV. Performing partial-birth abortions, 18 U.S.C. Section 1531; V. Killing infants born alive after an attempted induced abortion, who are persons entitled to legal protection under 1 U.S.C. Section 8.

As a service to investigators, the 27-page document details the law, followed by direct quotes from Planned Parenthood abortionists and other individuals, showing how laws may have been broken.

"The shocking undercover videos showing Planned Parenthood abortionists and associates sipping wine while discussing money to be made from infant bodies, butchered and sold for parts, may represent broad-based corporate corruption coordinated at the national level," said Dr. Yoest. "In fact, Planned Parenthood has a long history of unethical and potential criminal activity."

As noted here, AUL has extensively documented other cases of Planned Parenthood abuses in:

• The Case for Investigating Planned Parenthood,
• The Planned Parenthood Exhibits,
• Abortion Inc.—Cecile Richards' Planned Parenthood, and
• The New Leviathan: How Planned Parenthood Has Become Abortion, Inc.