Since October of last year, the Congressional Committee on Energy and Commerce formed the Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives for the sole purpose of investigating the abortion industry and the dirty business of harvesting and selling aborted baby body parts for profit. After David Daleiden released the videos exposing this horrific practice by abortion providers (particularly Planned Parenthood), the panel, led by U.S. Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), hit the ground running and went to work to pinpoint if and where this was happening.
And their findings have been astounding.
Last week, we spoke to a member of Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn’s staff. He filled us in on the latest information being released to the public.
On December 1st, 2016, the U.S. House of Representatives held a vote to continue funding the committee’s investigation into Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry. During the hearing on the house floor, Congresswoman Mia Love (R-TN), who is a member of the Panel, highlighted eight of the alarming revelations and criminal referrals which their investigation produced.
“First, the Panel discovered that the University of New Mexico was violating their state’s Anatomical Gift Act by receiving tissue from a late term abortion clinic. This is currently being investigated.
Second, the Panel made a forensic accounting analysis of Stem Express’s limited production and determined that they were profiting from the sale of baby body parts. Now the El Dorado District Attorney and the U.S. Department of Justice are investigating this.
Third, the Panel learned that Stem Express and certain abortion clinics were violating the HIPAA privacy rights of vulnerable women for the sole purpose of increasing the harvesting of fetal tissue to make money.
Fourth, the Panel discovered that an abortion clinic in Arkansas violated state law when it sent tissue to StemExpress. This too is under investigation.
Fifth, the Panel discovered that a university in Ohio was trafficking in baby body parts, an illegal act under Ohio State Law.
Sixth, it was discovered that DV Biologics, another tissue procurement company, was profiting from the sale of fetal tissue and was violating California sales tax law. This case has been filed.
Seventh, recently the Panel learned that Planned Parenthood of Gulf Coast violated both Texas and US law when it sold baby body part to the University of Texas. [The Houston-based Planned Parenthood affiliate has been referred to the Texas Attorney General for criminal prosecution.]
Eighth, the Panel also just learned that Advanced Bioscience Resources made a profit when it sold tissue to various universities.”
Watch Congresswoman Mia Love’s full speech on the House floor here:
Congresswoman Diane Black (R-TN), a member of the Panel and a former registered nurse, spoke on the floor as well, addressing the “systemic” violations of the HIPPA Privacy Rule which Stem Express and four abortion clinics, including three Planned Parenthood locations, committed over the course of five years. Her speech can be viewed here:
After hearing these astounding findings and the critical work of the Select Investigative Panel, Congress voted to continue funding the committee’s investigation under H. Res. 933, with a vote of 234-181.
Congresswoman and Chairman of the committee, Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) released this statement following the passage of H. Res. 933,
“Our Panel was tasked with investigating areas that, prior to the revelations of undercover journalists, received too little attention. For most of us, it is nothing short of an outrage that Planned Parenthood and other abortion clinics supplement their budgets by selling human fetal tissue from aborted babies. The House charged members of this Panel with investigating fetal tissue trafficking, second- and third-trimester abortion practices, the standard of care for infants who survive abortions, and the role played by our taxpayer dollars in this sector of society. Over the last year, we have held hearings that explored the bioethics surrounding fetal tissue use and that revealed the sobering reality of how some bad actors seek to profit from the sale of fetal tissue in violation of federal law.
“The work of our Panel is specifically focused on protecting the integrity of research, scientific advancements, and voluntary organ donation in America. Evidence we have uncovered reveals that the unethical and potentially unlawful practices of some bad actors may be putting important research at risk. Considering all that our Panel has identified, despite having barely a year to conduct this investigation, it is now up to us to build on this work, to hold our government accountable, and to stop these affronts to human dignity.”
As reported by Congresswoman Blackburn’s staff, the Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives will be filing a report summarizing their findings and investigative work by the end of the year. Plans for the following year will be determined after the report is filed.
On Sunday, December 4th, Congresswoman Blackburn was interviewed by Shannon Bream on Fox News. She talked about the work of the panel and what is to come. Here is a clip from that interview:
Stay tuned to our website and Facebook page for timely updates on the Panel and their continued investigation.