A disturbing video purporting to show a Planned Parenthood executive discussing organ harvesting from aborted fetuses has some Bay State lawmakers joining U.S. House Speaker John Boehner and two other states in calling for a full-scale investigation.
“We’re in the process of researching the Massachusetts General Laws and we believe that when that is complete we will be sending a request to the attorney general for an investigation,” said Republican state Rep. James Lyons of Andover. “We anticipate that we will have a request to her very soon.”
The viral video, featuring a senior director at Planned Parenthood and two actors posing as workers at a human biologics company, was shot last July, according to the Center for Medical Progress, the anti-abortion group that set up the sting and released the clip Tuesday. The YouTube video includes detailed discussion of how hearts, lungs and livers of the unborn might be best harvested.
Planned Parenthood said in a statement yesterday the apparent discussion in the video about pricing of fetal remains was taken out of context. Under federal law, the commercial sale of body parts from an aborted baby is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $500,000.
No such practice takes place at Planned Parenthood of Massachusetts, said Elizabeth Clark, director of health media at the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
A spokeswoman for state Attorney General Maura Healey declined to comment on a possible probe, adding that as of last night their office had not received any formal requests to do so.
But state Rep. Shawn Dooley, an anti-abortion Republican from Norfolk, said either the Baker administration or the Legislature should consider forming a committee aimed at investigating how fetal tissue donations are handled in the Bay State.
“We don’t need to have a witch hunt, but I know there isn’t a lot of regulation over fetal tissue donation that goes on, whether it goes on at abortion clinics or in whatever instance,” Dooley said. “We should make sure that we at least address it and how it’s being treated.”
Boehner, meanwhile, called for committees to examine the matter and urged President Obama to condemn and end the practice.
“When an organization monetizes an unborn child — and with the cavalier attitude portrayed in this horrific video — we must all act,” the Ohio Republican said.
Gov. Charlie Baker, a pro-choice Republican, didn’t address whether he’d instruct the state Department of Public Health to investigate, but noted that Planned Parenthood “does not have a program here like that” in the Bay State.
“Obviously it’s illegal to buy or sell any fetal tissue of any kind. As far as what other hospitals here in the commonwealth do, I’m assuming they comply with all the law and the rules as they exist,” Baker said. “I do know some of them are involved in stem cell research, but I don’t know if it relates to this sort of thing specifically or not.”