This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
U.S. Rep. Mia Love attempted to disassociate Planned Parenthood from a congressional investigation into the sale of fetal tissue on Friday, just days after a grand jury in Texas cleared the women's health organization and instead indicted two people who released secretly recorded conversations that led to the probe.
Love, R-Utah, is one of 14 lawmakers on the Select Committee on Infant Lives, which is expected to start its inquiry in the coming weeks.
"I'm trying to do everything I can to not focus on Planned Parenthood," Love told Utah reporters. "There are a lot of people in this industry. This is something we don't know very much about, and I think we owe it to the American people to be transparent and at least go on a fact-finding mission."
On Monday, after a two-month investigation, a grand jury in Harris County, Texas, found Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast did nothing illegal when it required a fee for fetal body parts in the recordings with people who posed as medical researchers. By law, abortion providers can recoup costs, but they can't make money. However, two members of the anti-abortion group Center for Medical Progress face a charge for making fake IDs and one has been charged with seeking to illegally buy fetal tissue.
The videos, in which some Planned Parenthood officials used rather flippant language, caused many Republicans and pro-life groups to react angrily. Love, a freshman lawmaker, teared up during an appearance on Fox Business in August and called the videos "absolutely horrific."
She also attended rallies against Planned Parenthood and supported Utah Gov. Gary Herbert's attempt to strip public funding from the group, a move mired in a court fight. A recent Tribune/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll found Utah voters are evenly split over the governor's action, with 46 percent disapproving and 44 percent approving.
Planned Parenthood has said it will no longer charge any fee to transfer the tissue to researchers. Utah's Planned Parenthood doesn't provide tissue to researchers.
When first named to the temporary House committee, Love said it should remain non-partisan, fact-based and focused on "possible illegal activity."
Love said Friday that she didn't know how the indictment would change the committee's work.
"There is always two sides to a story. As far as I'm concerned my job on the select committee is to push all of that aside and actually bring out the facts of what is happening in this industry.'
The Select Committee Chairwoman Marsha Blackburn, a Tennessee Republican, has asked Love to be the committee's point person on how medical researchers receive fetal body parts.
Once committee members start gathering information, Love expects a series of public hearings resulting in a final report.
"A lot of research has to be done," she said.
Twitter: @mattcanham