Lawmakers ask DOJ for enforcement info on fetal tissue

Republican leaders on the House Judiciary Committee are asking the Department of Justice (DOJ) for information on the enforcement of fetal tissue laws, as part of its investigation into Planned Parenthood. 

{mosads}Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and subcommittee chairman Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) on Monday wrote a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch, asking for the history of the enforcement of two laws banning profiting from fetal tissue sales and another law banning partial birth abortions. 

The lawmakers are looking for past instances in which violations of those three laws were alleged. 

The letter comes as part of the committee’s investigation into Planned Parenthood in the wake of controversial vides showing officials discussing the price of fetal tissue for medical research. The letter says the three laws “may be implicated by this video.”

Planned Parenthood strongly denies any wrongdoing and points to its officials’ statements in the videos that they are looking for legal compensation for expenses, not profit. 

The request to DOJ is the latest in a series of moves by the various congressional committees investigating Planned Parenthood. 

House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) on Friday wrote to the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), asking for a breakdown of how much money HHS gives to Planned Parenthood each year. 

Earlier this month, the House Energy & Commerce Committee sent letters to three more Planned Parenthood officials shown in the latest videos, requesting “informal interviews” with them. 

When questioned about the Planned Parenthood videos last month at a press conference, Lynch said that DOJ will “review all the information and determine what steps, if any, to take at the appropriate time.”