The Republican head of the Senate Judiciary Committee is asking federal authorities to consider investigating and prosecuting Planned Parenthood, four of its affiliates and three human tissue companies.
Sen. Chuck Grassley sent a letter to the FBI and the Justice Department on Tuesday that asked them to explore whether the groups have illegally profited from fetal tissue. Grassley said his request is based on an analysis of more than 20,000 pages of documents provided to Judiciary by the organizations.
The documents collected by the House panel raise a “reasonable suspicion” of wrongdoing, Grassley wrote.
“While the committee does not have all the details of what transpired between the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and these affiliates, the facts uncovered raise a reasonable suspicion that these organizations, and/or individuals employed by them, may have engaged in a conspiracy to violate the fetal tissue law,” Grassley wrote.
Grassley is asking authorities to consider investigating Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, Planned Parenthood LA, Planned Parenthood Northern California and Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest. He also referred three human tissue companies — StemExpress, Advanced Bioscience Resources and Novogenix Laboratories — for possible prosecution.
A special House panel investigating the supply chain of fetal tissue has also referred a number of Planned Parenthood affiliates and biomedical companies for criminal prosecution.
The House panel, led by Rep. Marsha Blackburn, was charged with investigating whether any parties involved in supplying aborted fetal tissue broke federal law. Republicans created the panel after undercover videos from abortion foe David Daleiden showed how some Planned Parenthood clinics provided aborted fetuses for medical research.
Sen. Join Ernst, who has sponsored legislation to defund Planned Parenthood, said Grassley’s findings reinforce her argument that the group shouldn’t get federal funds through the Medicaid program.
“Taxpayers should not be forced to foot the bill for roughly a half a billion dollars annually for an organization exhibiting such disrespect for human life,” Ernst said in a statement.
