Marco Rubio calls for inquiry into Planned Parenthood over alleged sale of body parts to university

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) is demanding an investigation into Planned Parenthood for reportedly selling aborted fetuses to the University of California, San Diego for research purposes. 

Rubio wrote a letter on Tuesday to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General Christi Grimm, asking they launch a federal investigation into the relationship.

Rubio claimed that through documents obtained by the Center for Medical Progress via a public records request, it was revealed that Planned Parenthood was transferring aborted fetal body parts to the university for “valuable consideration” while still maintaining intellectual property rights over the fetal tissue. 

“If confirmed, this relationship represents a flagrant violation of federal law, which explicitly prohibits the transfer of fetal tissue for any compensation,” he wrote. 

In 2009, Planned Parenthood and the university agreed to a “Biological Material Transfer Agreement” in which Planned Parenthood would give “fetal and placental cell tissue” to the university for noncommercial research, according to the contract.

“Most notably, the contract between UCSD and Planned Parenthood was made for ‘valuable consideration,’” Rubio wrote. “Federal law explicitly forbids ‘any person to knowingly acquire, receive, or otherwise transfer any human fetal tissue for valuable consideration.’” 

Violating the law could result in a fine or up to 10 years in prison, he noted. 

“Both of these organizations receive hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars every year, and the American people deserve answers.”

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Rubio has held a strong anti-abortion stance, saying in his January memorandum ahead of the March for Life Rally that “[Republicans] cannot be afraid to speak up for the defenseless by advocating commonsense limits of this gruesome practice.” 

In the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, abortion has become a flashpoint topic on the national stage going into the 2024 election. The practice has created some confusion in the Republican Party as lawmakers decide on where they fall on gestational age limits for abortion, and in a critical election year, many Republican candidates are trying to find a middle ground in an effort to appeal to more voters.