Despite certain states refusing to investigate or pay little more than lip service to the idea of launching an investigation into certain entities for the illegal practice of human fetal tissue trafficking, the Department of Justice has at last chosen to look into the matter.
Last week, Live Action News reported that two companies which were caught trafficking human fetal body parts for profit, DaVinci Biosciences and DV Biologics, who were partnered with Planned Parenthood affiliates in California to harvest aborted fetal tissue, have been fined nearly $8 million for violations of the law and will be forced to close. It was also reported that the Justice Department will investigate Planned Parenthood with regard to the criminal referrals made by the House Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives.
In an email today, New Mexico Alliance for Life noted that Congressman Steve Pearce has received a letter confirming that the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, as well as the notorious late-term abortion facility Southwestern Women’s Options, are also under FBI investigation for fetal tissue trafficking.
Pearce wrote in a Facebook post on Friday, December 8, “I applaud today’s action by Attorney General Jeff Session [sic] to take up the criminal referrals in New Mexico regarding violations made by the University of New Mexico (UNM) and the Southwestern Women’s Options (SWWO). Even more, DOJ will be investigating all fifteen criminal referrals that were sent out but not acted upon at the conclusion of the Select Panel’s investigation.”
The letter, above, from Assistant Attorney General Stephen. E. Boyd, states:
The Department has brought each of these referrals to the attention of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for review and any appropriate follow-up action. This includes not only the four referrals made by the Panel to the Department itself, but all other referrals made to state and local agencies as well, in order to facilitate the Department’s ability to coordinate with other agencies as needed. We can confirm that the Criminal Investigative Division of FBI Headquarters has received this information, including the two referrals made to the New Mexico Attorney General regarding practices of the University of New Mexico Health Center and Southwestern Women’s Options, and sent the materials to the relevant FBI field offices for review and any action deemed appropriate.
New Mexico Alliance for Life stated in its email, “Earlier reports indicated that only Planned Parenthood was under investigation by the FBI. Late Friday afternoon, Congressmen Marsha Blackburn and Steve Pearce received confirmation from the DOJ that all fifteen criminal referrals sent out by the Congressional Select Panel on Infant Lives are being investigated by the FBI.”
In June 2017, Live Action News’ Susan Michelle-Hanson reported that New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas had allowed multiple criminal claims regarding the fetal tissue harvesting in his state to expire, running out the statute of limitations on certain claims.
The fifteen criminal referrals made by the House Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives were originally made in December 2016, more than a year ago.
