Thirty Colorado Republican legislators called Wednesday for a state investigation into Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains and whether it is involved in “the sale and transfer of fetal body parts.”

“A civilized society cannot allow unethical and illegal medical practices such as the harvesting of aborted human organs and babies for monetary gain. I would hope that even proponents of abortion would agree to that much,” said state Rep. Dan Nordberg, R-Colorado Springs, in a press release.

The letter to Dr. Larry Wolk, head of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, comes a day after a department spokesman told news outlets there are no plans to investigate the group, citing recent efforts in Congress to examine the controversy.

“In light of the ongoing congressional investigation, CDPHE has no current plans to inquire of Planned Parenthood or any other entity concerning alleged transfers of fetal tissue,” said CDHPE spokesman Mark Salley in an email Tuesday to The Colorado Statesman.

Nordberg argued that a state investigation is warranted in light of undercover video footage from the pro-life Center for Medical Progress, which has released eight videos raising questions about fetal-tissue procurement, including footage from a Planned Parenthood affiliate in Denver.

“Planned Parenthood is not above the law,” Nordberg said. “The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has a duty to enforce state statutes and I expect them to do their job, regardless of any congressional investigation.”

The letter, signed by 22 state House members and eight state senators, calls on Wolk to investigate possible violations of state law and “take necessary legal action to end such practices.”

“Investigations have been initiated in multiple states to ensure Planned Parenthood Federation of America affiliates are in compliance with the law,” the letter reads. “We ask your office to coordinate with Governor John Hickenlooper, and any other appropriate state agencies, to do the same in Colorado.”

About a dozen states have launched investigations since the first undercover video was released July 14, but most have quickly concluded that their Planned Parenthood affiliates have no fetal-tissue donation program.

Planned Parenthood officials have said that only a handful of states are involved in procuring fetal tissue from abortions for medical research. State Republicans are concerned that Colorado may be one of them, based on the videos.

“In one recently released CMP video, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains’ Vice President and Medical Director, Dr. Savita Ginde, is shown negotiating a deal regarding the sale of babies’ body parts and agreeing multiple times to illicit pricing per body part harvested, and proposing ways to avoid legal consequences,” said the letter to Wolk.

State and federal law prohibit profiting from the sale of fetal tissue from abortions. Planned Parenthood officials have denied any wrongdoing, saying that payments received for aborted fetal tissue go toward covering costs associated with the program such as transportation and storage, which is legal.

Wolk’s office had no immediate public comment on the letter. U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn had previously asked Attorney General Cynthia Coffman to investigate the state affiliate, but she responded that the CDPHE has jurisdiction over the matter.

“For this reason, I am sending a copy of this letter to Dr. Larry Wolk, the executive director of CDPHE, to ensure that he is apprised of this matter,” said Coffman in her July 17 letter to Lamborn.

Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains praised the department in response to a 9News report Tuesday saying that Wolk would not investigate.

“Around the country, state attorneys general have either cleared Planned Parenthood of wrongdoing, or seen the fraudulent videos for what they are and declined to pursue investigations,” said the statement posted online by 9News’ Kyle Clark.

“We are pleased that Colorado, like the Planned Parenthood staff who confronted these imposters, has declined to take their bait,” said the statement.

An aide to Democratic state Sen. Morgan Carroll, D-Aurora, said she is “extremely honored” to accept an award from Planned Parenthood’s political arm, Planned Parenthood Votes Colorado, despite the recent controversy over the fetal-tissue program.

“At this point, the accusations against PP are so transparently false and a thinly veiled attempt to attack a woman’s right to make medical procedure decisions for herself,” said Carroll assistant Darin K. Raaf in an email to The Statesman. “The unedited videos reveal a sad reality that anti-choice proponents will stoop to any level, to lie, to cheat, to coerce without honor just to create a ‘scandal’ to move Colorado backwards.”

PPVC plans to honor Carroll, formerly the Senate minority leader, and House Speaker Dickey Lee Hullinghorst, D-Boulder, with its “Champions of Choice” awards at a Sept. 1 event.

Carroll stepped down from her Senate leadership post earlier this summer after announcing she was running for the 6th Congressional District seat held by U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman.

Since July 14, the center has released eight videos ranging from eight to 15 minutes in length, with some featuring discussions between center investigators and Planned Parenthood officials, who were unaware that they were being recorded.

Critics have blasted the videos as “deceptive” and “highly edited.” The center has posted what it says is the full footage from the videos in each case shortly thereafter.

Colorado State University president Tony Frank told Lamborn in a letter last month that the university will suspend its use of fetal tissue in its medical research and “seek alternatives to aborted fetal tissue sources.”

— valrichardson17@gmail.com