In Iowa, 41 House and Senate Republican have called on Attorney General Tom Miller to investigate the activities of abortion facilities in the state. The pro-life lawmakers said their request comes in response to eight undercover videos exposing Planned Parenthood’s organ harvesting business. Their hope is that Miller will determine “whether any relevant laws were broken by abortion providers in the state.”
In a letter to Miller, the lawmakers said, “As it is the responsibility of the Department of Justice to ensure abortion providers in the State of Iowa are following applicable laws, we respectfully urge you to investigate current and planned abortion operations within Iowa to ensure compliance with the law.” The Gazette reports that the list of legislators did not include House Speaker Kraig Paulsen (R-Hiawatha) Speaker-select Linda Upmeyer (R-Clear Lake) House Majority Leader Chris Hagenow (R-Windsor Heights) or Senate Minority Leader Bill Dix (R-Shell Rock).
The letter listed ten questions the Iowa lawmakers want answered, including questions about how abortion facilities in the state dispose of fetal remains; if clinics sell fetal tissue, alter abortion procedures for harvesting needs or are associated with StemExpress; and questions regarding how abortionists get patient consent to donate organs. In response to the letter, the communications director for Attorney General Miller, Geoff Greenwood, said, “We received the request this morning. We will review it and reply accordingly.”
SIGN THE PETITION! Congress Must De-Fund Planned Parenthood Immediately
Today, one day after StemExpress attempted to rebut the videos by saying Planned Parenthood doesn’t sell fully intact aborted babies, CMP has released the full 8th video. The eighth video in the ongoing controversy over Planned Parenthood’s sale of aborted fetal body parts shows the CEO of StemExpress, a major buyer of fetal tissue from Planned Parenthood, admitting the company gets “a lot” of intact fetuses, suggesting “another 50 livers a week” would not be enough, and agreeing abortion clinics should profit from the sale.
In July, Iowa Governor Terry Branstad said in a statement that he would be reviewing Planned Parenthood’s activities in the state. The statement read, “Because Gov. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Reynolds believe strongly that every life is worth protecting, they have asked the Iowa Department of Public Health to thoroughly review the funding the Legislature appropriated for women’s health and the Family Planning Block Grant to ensure it does not and will not ever fund abortions or operations related to abortion procedures.”
However, last week Gov. Branstad said it was up to the Attorney General’s Office to initiate an investigation into Planned Parenthood. Additionally, he said state funding does not go toward the abortion giant and the majority of reimbursement money given to the organization for their other services comes from federal sources.
The president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, Suzanna de Baca, said the following about her company’s business in Iowa: “Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of our patients. As a high-quality health care provider, Planned Parenthood has extremely high standards and works cooperatively with various state agencies to ensure compliance with all regulations. If an investigation is launched, as with any review or audit, we will work cooperatively with the Attorney General’s office in that process.”
She concluded, “However, this is another an attempt to roll back access to health care, including basic, preventive health care – lifesaving cancer screenings, birth control, STI testing and treatment, and well-woman exams – from the nearly 38,000 women and men we serve each year in Iowa. Distracting lawmakers with outrageous claims are exactly what groups opposed to a woman’s right to make personal health care decisions intended to do, and it’s disappointing that lawmakers are using these widely discredited attacks to try to justify their political agenda.”
SIGN THE PETITION! Congress Must Investigate Planned Parenthood for Selling Aborted Baby Parts
As LifeNews previously reported, the other services Planned Parenthood brags about, like cancer-screenings, contraception and STD testing, are provided at countless other legitimate health care centers in the country; and their annual report shows that some of those services have dropped significantly in the last few years.
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For example, in 2013, Planned Parenthood’s cancer prevention services dropped 17% over one year, and contraceptive services dropped by 4%. It is also important to mention that the breast exams the abortion giant offers are actually simple breast screenings, NOT mammograms, breast biopsies or ultrasounds. They don’t help women catch cancer; instead they refer women to health centers that offer those services.
