Donald Trump hasn’t even taken the oath of office yet and his nominee to be Attorney General hasn’t been confirmed, but already pro-life groups and their Congressional allies are calling for an all-out assault on women’s reproductive choices.
On Tuesday, Republicans, led by Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley released a report which encourages the Justice Department to investigate allegations that medical research companies and Planned Parenthood affiliates illegally sold tissue from aborted fetuses. Planned Parenthood has repeatedly insisted that such allegations are completely baseless, and were instigated in an attempt to harm the women’s healthcare provider. Twelve dozen states investigated Planned Parenthood affiliates, and not a single one was able to find a shred of proof that fetal tissue had been sold.
But with ultra conservative Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions set to be the next Attorney General, it seems likely that the Justice Department might well be inclined to instigate increased federal probes of Planned Parenthood, if only as a payback for the conservatives and evangelicals who cast their ballots for Trump.
And pro-life advocates say they fully expect a GOP-led Department of Justice to give close scrutiny to Planned Parenthood. Tom McClusky, who lobbies members of Congress on abortion issues as the vice president of government affairs at March for Life Action, commented:
“I’d be shocked if it doesn’t happen. I’d also be shocked if they didn’t find something prosecutable.”
Kristan Hawkins, who heads Students for Life, echoed McCluskey, adding that she is ready to see Planned Parenthood charged and prosecuted:
“Senator Sessions has always been a staunch advocate for the preborn and their moms, and we fully expect that he would do the same as attorney general.
“We’re looking forward to Sen. Sessions becoming Attorney General Sessions and investigating this, and, yes, prosecuting Planned Parenthood for their crimes.”
Dana Singiser, Planned Parenthood’s vice president of governmental affairs, responded to those accusations:
“Planned Parenthood’s standards have always gone above and beyond what the law required. As investigation after investigation has shown, Planned Parenthood has done nothing wrong. Senator Grassley’s report attempts to paint a nefarious picture of the simple re-formatting of a document—showing once again that there is no actual wrongdoing to point to.”
The GOP swears there’s no Republican War on Women. Yet their words and actions repeatedly prove otherwise.
This article was originally published by the same author at LiberalAmerica.org