The medical school of a well-known university in the U.S. is under scrutiny after it was found that students from the school used aborted foetal brains for research.

The U.S. House Select Panel of Infant Lives sent a letter to New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas regarding the illegal transfer of foetal tissue to the University of New Mexico (UNM), Fox News reports.

"Documentation obtained by the panel in the course of its investigation reflects that the transfer of fetal tissue from SWWO to UNM for research purposes is a direct violation of New Mexico's Jonathan Spradling Revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act," said Republican Panel Chair Marsha Blackburn.

She said the University of New Mexico violated state laws on the use of aborted foetal tissue it got from Southwestern Women's Options (SWWO), a facility which provides late-term abortions.

Reports said the tissue was used for research at summer camps in 2012 and 2014.

The House panel was established last October because of the Planned Parenthood videos.

According to Blackburn, university officials trained new abortion doctors, referred women to abortion clinics, sent university faculty and residents to an abortion clinic during transition between owners, extended "voluntary faculty" status to local abortionists, supplied residents and fellows to perform abortions for SWWO, and put pressure on employees and students for political support, all in violation of state law..

Her letter was accompanied with a 291-page report about the relationship between UNM and SWWO.

"Today, UNM Hospital performs surgical abortions for any reason through 25 weeks gestation. Since the time when opposition to participating in abortion procedures was the predominant view of UNM medical staff, the culture appears to have changed—along with the composition of UNM hospital and clinic personnel—to one aggressively in favor of the expansion of abortion," the report said.

University officials admitted that the foetal tissues were used in research.

The Albuquerque Journal reported that in 2012 and 2014, the university held a summer programme where aborted foetal brains were dissected.

"This was the tipping point of the depravity and lack of respect for human life," said Elisa Martinez, founder and executive director of the New Mexico Alliance for Life.