Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) demanded answers to allegations that a Planned Parenthood facility broke federal law by providing human remains to a university for research purposes.
A Tuesday letter from the Republican alleges the highly controversial group supplied aborted fetal tissue to the University of California, San Diego. Rubio was quite specific in his accusations.
He wrote, “Not only was Planned Parenthood providing the aborted fetal tissue in exchange for ‘valuable consideration,’ emails between the groups showed that Planned Parenthood and [the University of California, San Diego] actively collaborated and met at regular intervals.”
Marco Rubio: Investigate Planned Parenthood for Selling Aborted Baby Parts https://t.co/TBz191a4mC pic.twitter.com/DIOjgy7dPM
— LifeNews.com (@LifeNewsHQ) March 27, 2024
They allegedly gathered to discuss the progress of research using the aborted human tissue.
Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest allegedly provided the human tissue from aborted fetuses to the school in exchange for rights to the research findings.
This arrangement was revealed in documents released by anti-abortion activist group Center for Medical Progress.
Rubio noted in the letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland that such an exchange involving money is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The senator further charged that a similar deal exists involving the University of Pittsburgh and is currently under investigation.
Also addressed to Health and Human Services Inspector General Christi Grimm, Rubio requested that a federal investigation be launched into the matter.
According to the documents obtained through a public records request, Planned Parenthood and the university reached a “Biological Material Transfer Agreement” in 2009.
Rubio wrote that federal law expressly forbids “any person to knowingly acquire, receive or otherwise transfer any human fetal tissue for valuable consideration.” He added that both organizations are beneficiaries of hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars, and answers are needed.
Abortion is of course a hot button topic since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. While several Republicans look for middle ground in this election year, Rubio does not hesitate to strengthen his pro-life credentials by standing strong for the most vulnerable among us.
Before January’s huge March for Life Rally, Rubio wrote that his party “cannot be afraid to speak up for the defenseless by advocating commonsense limits of this gruesome practice.”
