Thirty-four Republican state legislators have signed a letter asking Attorney General Bob Ferguson to investigate Planned Parenthood over allegations of selling fetal tissue.
Thirty-four Republican state representatives have asked state Attorney General Bob Ferguson to investigate whether Planned Parenthood affiliates in the state have illegally profited from the sale of fetal body parts.
In a letter to Ferguson, a Democrat, the GOP lawmakers cited controversial undercover video of a national Planned Parenthood medical director eating lunch while discussing procedures and prices for delivering tissues from aborted fetuses to researchers.
Regardless of anyone’s views on legalized abortion, “a civilized society cannot tolerate unethical medical practices such as the harvesting of human organs for monetary gain,” the letter said.
Planned Parenthood leaders have denied wrongdoing, saying the “heavily edited” video has been distorted by abortion foes.
Most Read Local Stories
The group says it follows the law and ethical guidelines in its handling of fetal tissues donated for medical research. In some cases, the organization has received payments to cover its costs, “which is standard across the medical field,” the group said in a statement this month.
Republicans across the country have continued to pound the issue, with several GOP presidential candidates denouncing Planned Parenthood and congressional Republicans vowing to conduct an investigation.
Alison Dempsey-Hall, a spokeswoman for the attorney general’s office, said in an email the office received the lawmakers’ letter Friday and was reviewing it. “We won’t have further public comment until that review is complete,” she said.