Penna Dexter

States across the nation have been redirecting taxpayer dollars away from Planned Parenthood and toward health clinics that do not offer abortions. It’s time for the federal government to do the same.

And the US Justice Department may now provide strong justification.

Prompted by David Daleiden’s investigations into Planned Parenthood’s baby-parts-for-profits transactions, two congressional committees have been looking into the activities of Planned Parenthood related to the sale of human body parts. Last year a House panel released its report and made 15 criminal referrals against certain organizations, including Planned Parenthood, universities, and fetal tissue companies.

Now, the Senate Judiciary Committee has released a report showing evidence that Planned Parenthood has indeed violated federal law in selling organs derived from babies they have aborted. The Committee issued criminal referrals to the Department of Justice and the DOJ is taking this seriously.

It’s not illegal to provide body parts for research. But it is illegal to make a profit from selling them. Planned Parenthood charged and received payment from Stem Express and other companies that facilitate the transfer of body parts to research institutions. Planned Parenthood claimed the bulk of these charges were reimbursements for shipping costs. But the Senate Judiciary Committee found that Stem Express paid the shipping costs for these transactions. The Committee has the receipts to prove it.

The Committee’s report states that it found that Planned Parenthood “transferred tissue and body parts from aborted fetuses to firms for use in research by charging dollar amounts above their actual costs.”

The Department of Justice now has these receipts and has requested additional unredacted material from the Judiciary Committee’s investigation.

Now that the DOJ is officially investigating Planned Parenthood for criminal activity, there’s no reason for Congress to continue to send the organization $500 million annually. Congress should take the next opportunity to completely and permanently halt the flow of dollars to Planned Parenthood.