By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Tuesday, July 14, US Representative Martha Roby (R-Montgomery) spoke out on the floor of the US House of Representatives about a hidden video where a top Planned Parenthood official appears to be suggesting that she is admitting to the possibly illegal practice of harvesting and trafficking of fetal organs after abortions. On Wednesday, July 15, Rep. Roby joined Pro-Life members of Congress in calling for hearings and a full investigation.
Congresswoman Roby told her colleagues in the House, “Mr. Speaker, I rise to raise awareness about a disturbing development. Today video surfaced of Dr. Deborah Nucatola, Planned Parenthood’s senior director for medical services, admitting – in fact bragging – about the harvesting and trafficking of fetal organs after abortions.”
Rep. Roby continued, “To those who haven’t seen the video, I encourage you to watch. But be forewarned. The casual, callous way she details how babies can be killed in such a way that their tiny hearts, lungs and livers can be taken and sold for profit is simply horrifying. To quote Doctor Nucatola “We’ve been very good at getting heart, lung, liver… so I’m not gonna crush that part.” “I’m gonna basically crush below, I’m gonna crush above, and I’m gonna see if I can get it all intact.”
The conservative Alabama Congresswoman said, “It is honestly hard to believe a human being could bring themselves to believe this is okay. Of course, this is completely illegal, but that apparently isn’t stopping Planned Parenthood. Mr. Speaker we have long fought to prohibit federal funding to Planned Parenthood, and we will continue to. But this admission of barbaric behavior warrants a closer inspection of this organization.”
Rep. Roby concluded, “This is one of those moments that – as a nation and as a people – we have to ask ourselves, “Who are we? Are we really going to tolerate this inhumanity? Are we going to look the other way while babies are brutally killed and organs harvested for profit? These aren’t specimens! These are babies for goodness’ sake! I may only have one minute today, but I promise we are not finished talking about this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.”
On Tuesday, hidden camera video surfaced allegedly showing Planned Parenthood senior director for medical services, Dr. Deborah Nucatola (who also performs abortions for Planned Parenthood Los Angeles), describing in detail, over lunch, how abortion procedures can be altered to preserve hearts, lungs and livers so they can be sold. A sale which might violate existing federal law.
Dr. Nucatola says on the video to the two undercover investigators posing as representatives of a fetal tissue collection agency, “I’d say a lot of people want liver. We’ve been very good at getting heart, lung, liver,” she said, having noted that it depends on placing the graspers above and below the unborn child’s body cavity, “because we know that, so I’m not gonna crush that part, I’m going to basically crush below, I’m gonna crush above, and I’m gonna see if I can get it all intact.”
On the transcript, Dr. Nucatola appears to describe something similar to an illegal partial birth abortion where a living baby is delivered feet first except for the head, which is crushed by the doctor.
The video was released by the Center for Medical Progress claims that this is proof of a, “criminal conspiracy.” Whether this is illegal or not is not entirely clear. You can not sell human body parts under federal law, but tissue donation is perfectly legal and on the video Dr. Nucatola stated that their goal “is to give patients the option without impacting our bottom line,” and that this “should not be seen as a new revenue stream, because that’s not what it is.” Dr. Nucatola suggested a price of $30-100 per “specimen.” “(T)hey want to come to a number that doesn’t look like they’re making money. They want to come to a number that looks like it is a reasonable number for the effort that is allotted on their part,” referring to Planned Parenthood affiliates.
Dr. Nucatola said, “At the end of the day, it is all just sitting there, it’s all just going to be wasted otherwise. That’s what it is, it’s a waste. It’s a complete and total waste.”
Louisiana Governor and GOP Presidential Primary candidate Bobby Jindal (R), announced an investigation into Planned Parenthood, “I have instructed Louisiana’s Department of Health and Hospitals [DHH] to conduct an immediate investigation into this alleged evil and illegal activity and to not issue any licenses until this investigation is complete.”
On Wednesday, Pro-Life members of Congress including Rep. Martha Roby said, “I appreciate the House Leadership and the Committees of jurisdiction for quickly laying the groundwork for investigations and hearings. Congress is right to use its oversight capacity to get to the bottom of this and hold this organization to account, but I think this warrants a criminal investigation – a serious one. I don’t care how much political weight Planned Parenthood throws around this town, no one is above the law.”
Congresswoman said, “If we’re going to be ‘perp walking’ soccer officials, how about let’s bear down on harvesting and trafficking of babies’ body parts.”
National Right to Life President Carol Tobias said in a statement: “It is stomach-churning to hear a top doctor for the national Planned Parenthood organization admit, on videotape, that Planned Parenthood abortionists can and will alter late abortion procedures to facilitate the harvesting of intact baby body parts – she specifically mentioned hearts, lungs, livers, even intact heads – in order to fill specific pre-orders. Numerous statements by Dr. Nucatola cry out for probes by Congress and other investigatory agencies – and quickly.”
NRL President Tobias continued, “For example, Dr. Nucatola specifically describes abortionists manipulating unborn children in order to remove them feet first, to facilitate obtaining an intact head, apparently to preserve an intact brain. This statement and others raise a host of ethical questions, including whether pregnant women are being given detailed information in advance about exactly what is going to be done to them and their babies. Planned Parenthood’s political arm is a major backer of many Democratic members of Congress. Lawmakers who have enjoyed Planned Parenthood’s backing should now be asked whether they will continue to oppose pending legislation to restrict the abortion of pain-capable unborn children after 20 weeks fetal age, as Planned Parenthood insists – and if so, whether they are motivated in any degree by a desire to preserve Planned Parenthood’s ability to deliver intact, well-developed baby body parts to order.”
Congresswoman Martha Roby represents Alabama’s Second Congressional District.
(Original reporting by the ‘National Catholic Register’s Peter Jesserer Smith contributed to this report)
