“Americans were shocked today to see images of a top Planned Parenthood doctor discussing a ‘menu’ of aborted baby hearts, lungs and livers that she targets during abortions to provide to waiting buyers. Because of the highly secretive, rarely monitored world of Big Abortion, we are told to ‘trust but never verify’ the nature of their grisly business,” observed AUL’s Dr. Charmaine Yoest, following a Planned Parenthood statement after the release of shocking undercover video investigation.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (07-14-15) – Americans United for Life President and CEO Dr. Charmaine Yoest called for an immediate Congressional and state investigations into the alleged atrocities exposed by the images from the new undercover video released by The Center for Medical Progress documenting Planned Parenthood’s sale of baby parts including hearts, lung, livers and “lower extremities.” Yoest made the following statement following Planned Parenthood’s denial of illegal activity.
Dr. Yoest said: “Americans were shocked today to see images of Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s Senior Director of Medical Services Dr. Deborah Nucatola discussing a ‘menu’ of aborted baby hearts, lungs and livers that she targets during abortions to provide to waiting buyers. As taxpayer dollars make up more than 40 percent of Planned Parenthood’s budget, Congress must utilize their subpoena power to investigate Cecile Richard’s claims that Planned Parenthood’s sale of baby parts is not illegal. Because of the highly secretive, rarely monitored world of Big Abortion, we are told to ‘trust but never verify’ the nature of their grisly business. Planned Parenthood is a billion-dollar corporate behemoth. Of course they deny wrong-doing despite the troubling evidence otherwise.”
The video raises many on-going questions:
- How much money is being exchanged for baby hearts, livers, lungs, and other body parts?
Are interstate commerce laws being violated in the transportation of baby parts?
- Are mothers fully informed, and do they give legal consent to the sale of their babies’ hearts, livers, and lungs?
- Is the illegal Partial Birth Abortion procedure used in an effort to gain valuable later-term, more fully formed heads and hearts?
- Is the Born Alive Infant Protection Act violated in in an effort to gain valuable later-term, more fully formed heads and hearts?
- Are women encouraged to endure dangerous late-term abortion procedures by abortionists who know that body parts from more developed infants sell for more money?
- Are federal funds used to subsidize any of the facilities or procedures used in “harvesting” fetal tissue after the abortion was performed?
“The American public is demanding answers to these legal questions. An investigation must look at whether Planned Parenthood is following federal, state, and local laws, based on evidence that they are receiving monies for the sale of aborted infants.”
“In 1993, the United States Congress enacted, 42 U.S.C. 289g, regulating fetal research in general. In particular, 42 U.S.C. 289g-2(a) makes it unlawful for any person ‘to knowingly acquire, receive, or otherwise transfer any fetal tissue for valuable consideration if the transfer affects interstate commerce.’ (Emphasis added.)”
“42 U.S.C. 289g-2(e)(3) defines ‘valuable consideration’ to exclude ‘reasonable payments associated with the transportation, implantation, processing, preservation, quality control, or storage of human fetal tissue.’ A legal issue will be whether Planned Parenthood received ‘valuable consideration’ in their selling of the broken bodies of aborted infants.”
“This means that it is illegal for Planned Parenthood to have profited from the sale of aborted hearts, livers, and lungs. Let’s not lose sight of the spirit of the law in a discussion of the letter of the law. Planned Parenthood’s selling of the broken bodies of unborn children is inhumane and troubling no matter how any investigation concludes. And if Planned Parenthood’s conduct does not violate the federal law prohibiting the sale of fetal tissue and organs, then the law must be changed.”
To read AUL’s full statement today following the release of the shocking video investigation click here.
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