Government investigations of Planned Parenthood in response to a series of deceptive videos produced by anti-abortion activists continue to lead to nothing.
On Monday, a 48-page report released by Washington state’s Attorney General Bob Ferguson stated that his team’s investigation into allegations about Planned Parenthood profiting from sales of fetal tissue “found no indication that procedures performed by Planned Parenthood are anything other than performance of a legally authorized medical procedure.”
After undercover videos filmed by David Daleiden and his anti-abortion group, Center for Medical Progress, went viral, legislators across the country called for probes of Planned Parenthood operations. So far, none of these investigations has turned up any wrongdoing.
They have, however, had a chilling effect on important research into cures for diseases including diabetes, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s, as Mother Jones reported last month. That Planned Parenthood was cleared of any misconduct in Washington is particularly notable because Washington is one of only two states that allow patients to donate tissue to scientific research. (California is the other.)
Despite the lack of evidence from these state investigations, Republicans in the US Senate continue their attempts to defund Planned Parenthood; they are currently working to pass a fast-track “reconciliation” package that aims to dismantle key components of Obamacare and rescind Planned Parenthood funding.
