WASHINGTON, D.C. — Disturbed by recent videos allegedly showing Planned Parenthood officials attempting to sell the tissue of aborted babies, Rep. Gary Palmer (R-AL6) led more than fifty U.S. House members in writing a letter to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, requesting that an independent counsel be appointed to fully investigate the possibility that Planned Parenthood broke the law by selling parts of aborted babies, and by altering their abortion techniques to ensure the right body parts remained intact.
“The videos distributed by the Center or Medical Progress provide strong evidence that Planned Parenthood may have broken federal law by selling fetal body parts for profit,” Palmer wrote in the letter. “If this is the case, the entities that purchased the fetal organs and tissue may have also violated federal law. Consequently, the investigation goes beyond Planned Parenthood. We are calling for an independent counsel to ensure an impartial and thorough investigation is conducted.”
Gonzales v. Carhart, the Supreme Court case which ultimately upheld the nation’s partial birth abortion ban, Attorney General Lynch signed onto a brief supporting Planned Parenthood’s opposition to the law. The signees of the letter believe that because of this support, there is a justifiable public perception that she cannot conduct an impartial investigation of the organization.
The Alabama delegation has taken an active roll in attempting to end Federal funding to the abortion provider. Every Republican member of Alabama’s congressional delegation has signed on to two bills defunding Planned Parenthood and refusing federal funds to other family planning organizations that perform abortions.
Federal funding has been a contentious issue for Pro-Life individuals and was the critical rallying point of a Planned Parenthood protest in Birmingham earlier this week.
A Yellowhammer analysis of Federal tax receipts and spending show that federal taxpayers from Alabama pay a combined $3.5 million per year to fund planned parenthood, a number that breaks down to $1.70 per taxpayer.
