Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has directed the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals to conduct an investigation into Planned Parenthood following the release of a video claiming to depict a top official discussing the harvesting and selling of fetal body parts.
"Today's video of a Planned Parenthood official discussing the systematic harvesting and trafficking of human body parts is shocking and gruesome," Jindal, running for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, said in a statement, Breitbart reported.
A video posted on YouTube by the Center for Medical Progress appears to show Planned Parenthood's senior director of medical services, Deborah Nucatola, discussing over lunch the harvesting of body parts from aborted fetuses with undercover investigators who posed as members of a company interested in buying and selling fetal tissue.
Buying and selling human body parts is illegal in the U.S., but donating tissue is not, as long a profit is not made, according to Newsweek. Nucatola does not explicitly state in the heavily edited video that Planned Parenthood actually sells body parts.
There is no mention of Louisiana in the video. either, and Planned Parenthood does not operate abortion clinics in the state. However, Jindal said part of the reason he ordered the investigation was because the organization plans to open a clinic in New Orleans, The Times-Picayune reported.
"This same organization is seeking to open an abortion clinic in New Orleans. I have instructed Louisiana's Department of Health and Hospitals to conduct an immediate investigation into this alleged evil and illegal activity and to not issue any licenses until this investigation is complete," Jindal said.
Because DHH has been suspended from issuing new licenses, the investigation will at least temporarily prevent Planned Parenthood from opening its $4 million clinic in New Orleans.
Planned Parenthood said in response that they "are committed to completing our new health center in New Orleans and providing the full range of reproductive health care this community overwhelmingly supports and needs."
"Make no mistake: This health center will open, and Planned Parenthood will do everything we can to provide care for the women and men of Louisiana who rely on us," the organization said, according to The Times-Picayune.
Jindal also indicated that he believes Planned Parenthood may be breaking federal laws, as he is "also asking the FBI to assist DHH in investigating this alleged criminal activity by this organization."
Planned Parenthood rejected any wrongdoing and said the organization was being falsely portrayed in the video, claiming that what's really being discussed is "tissue donation programs that support lifesaving scientific research."
The group released the following statement: "In health care, patients sometimes want to donate tissue to scientific research that can help lead to medical breakthroughs, such as treatments and cures for serious diseases. Women at Planned Parenthood who have abortions are no different. At several of our health centers, we help patients who want to donate tissue for scientific research, and we do this just like every other high-quality health care provider does -- with full, appropriate consent from patients and under the highest ethical and legal standards. There is no financial benefit for tissue donation for either the patient or for Planned Parenthood. In some instances, actual costs, such as the cost to transport tissue to leading research centers, are reimbursed, which is standard across the medical field."
Watch the hidden camera video below.
