[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 19722]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    PLANNED PARENTHOOD INVESTIGATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Alabama (Mrs. Roby) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, a few days ago, we learned of the Department 
of Justice's decision to open an investigation in the appalling 
practice of abortion providers harvesting and trafficking aborted 
babies' body parts for profit--finally.
  Mr. Speaker, as my colleagues surely remember, in July of 2015, 
senior Planned Parenthood officials were caught on camera discussing 
how abortion procedures could systematically be altered in order to 
preserve certain organs so that they could be sold to researchers. They 
talked of ``crushing'' here and ``crushing'' there, being careful to 
preserve little parts of a baby's body because they are valuable on the 
research market. They talked of menus for organs and how lucrative 
these arrangements could be.
  It was sick, callous, and completely inhuman. It also happens to be 
against the law. Soon thereafter, several of my colleagues and I called 
for an investigation into these disturbing revelations.
  But, Mr. Speaker, our demands fell on deaf ears. Attorney General 
Loretta Lynch turned a blind eye and didn't pursue an investigation. 
Even after multiple congressional committees referred their own 
investigations to the authorities at the Department of Justice, nothing 
was done.
  At the time, I said it was disappointing, but hardly surprising. We 
all know how much political weight Planned Parenthood throws around in 
this town. But, Mr. Speaker, in this country, no one is above the law.
  That is why I was so pleased to receive word that the Department of 
Justice, now under the leadership of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, 
appears to be following up on the evidence and taking our calls for an 
investigation seriously.
  In a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Assistant Attorney 
General Stephen Boyd, who I am proud to say was formerly my chief of 
staff, requested unredacted documents from the committee's 
investigation into the suspected harvesting and trafficking of fetal 
tissue. He said, for now, the documents are for investigative use only, 
and a formal resolution may be required for further proceedings, such 
as a grand jury.
  I appreciate the Department of Justice's attention to this, and I 
know I am not the only one who will be watching this closely.
  When the terrible videos first surfaced in 2015, I immediately came 
to the House floor and stood right here in the well and spoke out about 
this outrageous activity. Someone later told me I was the first one to 
speak on the floor, and, Mr. Speaker, I will be the last, if I have to.
  I said then: ``I promise . . . we are not done talking about this.'' 
Today, I am glad that has proven to be true.

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