By Cheryl Sullenger
Albuquerque, NM – In a new development, a spokesman for New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas, James Hallinan, confirmed last week that Southwestern Women’s Services and the University of New Mexico have submitted a “voluminous” amount of records in response to the ongoing investigation into allegations of illegal trafficking in aborted baby remains and other crimes.
“While we can confirm there is an ongoing investigation and both UNM and SWWO have responded to our demands by producing a voluminous amount of records, we cannot comment further on the investigation,” Hallinan said in an email to the Albuquerque Journal.
The Attorney General’s investigation and “aggressive” request for documents, which was first made public during a meeting between national pro-life leaders and Deputy Attorney General Tania Maestas in April.
The investigation was prompted by a complaint filed by Tara Shaver of Abortion Free New Mexico, and later criminal referrals from the House Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives. Representatives from Operation Rescue, Priests for Life, the Survivors, and Abortion Free New Mexico attended the meeting. Also present was Cathern Glenn Foster, who has since become President and CEO of Americans United for Life.
However, there is some question about whether the “voluminous” records represent full compliance.
Southwestern Women’s Options and UNM previously submitted documents to the House Select Panel during its investigation into the practice of procuring aborted baby remains for “research.” It is believed that neither entity fully complied with the Select Panel’s subpoenas.
According to Rep. Marsha Blackburn, who chaired the investigatory panel, UNM was especially uncooperative. UNM officials never showed up to the any of the several meetings with investigators, which were arranged at UNM’s request.
“We can only hope that this new state criminal investigation will be finally result in justice. Southwestern Women’s Options and UNM must be held accountable for their actions that are suspected of violating a ban on the use of fetal tissue for experimentation, as well as a woman’s informed consent,” said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue. “Since Balderas is a Democrat who was very slow to act on these serious allegations, there is no guarantee there will be a prosecution. We hope Attorney General Balderas will chose to put aside partisan politics and his personal bias favoring abortion, and just enforce the law as written as he was elected to do.”
This development comes in the wake of new investigative reports from Abortion Free New Mexico that reveal disturbing behavior by Southwestern Women’s Options.

An undercover recording revealed how tax money completely pays for abortions for any reason – even through the third trimester of pregnancy — on women who can qualify for Medicaid. A caller identifying herself as 30-weeks pregnant, was told that Medicaid would pick up the full cost for her elective late-term abortion.

While that might not be a crime, failure to report child sex abuse is.
A second undercover recording featured a caller posing as a minor girl who was 26-weeks pregnant by an older family member. Instead of being told to contact the authorities, the incest victim was told to call New Mexico Medicaid, which would pay the full costs of her $7,500 for the abortion. The caller was never notified that the abortion facility would be required to report suspected child sex abuse.
“This latest undercover call continues to rip the veil off the abortion industry and show our nation what even most ‘prochoice’ people oppose: late term abortion of healthy babies, paid for by taxpayers, and conducted by an industry which provides cover for sexual predators,” said Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life, who has been working with Abortion Free New Mexico on their investigative efforts. “What we need to know to end abortion is found in the abortion industry itself. We just need to continue exposing it, and we will.”