ST. LOUIS (Life News) – State legislators in Missouri moved ahead this week with their investigation into the scandal of the Planned Parenthood abortion business selling the body parts from aborted babies. Their investigation raises questions about whether the Planned Parenthood abortion center in St. Louis is selling aborted babies and their body parts.
As LifeNews previously reported, there is specific concern in Missouri about Planned Parenthood’s business because one of the shocking expose videos mentions St. Louis as a possible location to obtain aborted babies.
What lawmakers are finding in their investigation is disconcerting: Planned Parenthood may be selling aborted babies and, at minimum, may be covering up what happens to those aborted babies and their body parts. That’s because a pathology company contracted by the abortion giant failed to deliver reports about the status of aborted babies to the state health department as required by state law.
The problems at the St. Louis abortion clinic Planned Parenthood runs are so severe they were cited by the health department earlier this year for failing to follow state law.
As the St. Louis Review reports:
“Planned Parenthood in St. Louis was cited earlier this year for not sending pathology reports from abortions to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, as required by law.
“That was the latest item revealed at an Aug. 25 hearing of the Missouri Senate’s Interim Committee on the Sanctity of Life, which is investigating how Planned Parenthood operates in Missouri. The committee began meeting this month in response to the Center for Medical Progress’ undercover videos depicting Planned Parenthood officials discussing the sale of fetal body parts.
“John Langston, a manager with the Department of Health and Senior Services, said that when the department inspected the St. Louis clinic this year, they discovered evidence that not all pathology reports were being sent to the department. The St. Louis clinic was given time to correct the deficiency, but no other action was taken.
“Later in the hearing, it was revealed that Pathology Services Inc. of St. Louis is the third-party provider of pathology services for abortions performed at Planned Parenthood in St. Louis. The company is located in a nondescript brick building on Brentwood Boulevard; only a small sign is posted in the window, indicating the building is under video surveillance.
“When Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Glendale, asked if Pathology Services Inc. was selling fetal body parts, Langston said he had no indication that was happening, but could not answer with certainty what happens to the fetal remains.”
Meanwhile, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper indicates the number of reports of the status of unborn babies that Planned Parenthood failed to properly file with the status as “unknown” and state officials at the health department have no idea how long Planned Parenthood was out of compliance with state law until it was cited earlier this year.
As the newspaper reports:
“This failure by Pathology Services, Inc. was revealed by an inspection report of the Planned Parenthood clinic obtained by the Post-Dispatch. The revelation raises new questions about whether state officials can be sure that fetal body parts from abortions performed at the Planned Parenthood clinic aren’t being sold illegally.”
Missouri lawmakers are furious that the health department is not exerting proper oversight when it comes to abortion clinics. In fact, Missouri health department Director Gail Vasterling testified that officials at her office don’t even look at the reports even if they are submitted.
“‘For the department to be able to say the kind of activity described in the videos (isn’t) going on, the department needs to look with some degree of care at pathology reports,’ said Sen. Bob Onder, R-Lake Saint Louis.
“Vasterling, however, has said she’s not sure department officials even look at the pathology reports, nor does she know what the lab does with the tissue following examination.
“Pathology Services, Inc. said in a statement that it disposes of tissue samples through a licensed and certified biohazard medical company. The statement also says that the company sends pathology reports to the state health department as required by law.
“But the state’s March inspection report indicates that an interview with a Planned Parenthood official revealed that the pathology lab ‘did not submit pathology specimen reports to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.’”
Vasterling has said the department doesn’t monitor what Pathology Services does with fetal tissue after the examination report is complete.
