We’ve been very good at getting heart, lung, liver, because we know that, 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.”
An undercover video released this morning purports to show Dr. Deborah Nucatola, Senior Director of Planned Parenthood’s Medical Services Department, describing the process of the extraction of the body parts of an aborted fetus for commerce.
“It makes a huge difference,” Nucatola replies. “I’d say a lot of people want liver. And for that reason, most providers will do this case under ultrasound guidance, so they’ll know where they’re putting their forceps. The kind of rate-limiting step of the procedure is calvarium. Calvarium—the head—is basically the biggest part.”
The investigation was carried out by the Center for Medical Progress. According to their website, the “Center for Medical Progress is a group of citizen journalists dedicated to monitoring and reporting on medical ethics and advances.”
The video is the first by The Center for Medical Progress in its “Human Capital” series, a nearly 3-year-long investigative journalism study of Planned Parenthood’s illegal trafficking of aborted fetal parts. Project Lead David Daleiden notes: “Planned Parenthood’s criminal conspiracy to make money off of aborted baby parts reaches to the very highest levels of their organization. Elected officials must listen to the public outcry for Planned Parenthood to be held accountable to the law and for our tax dollars to stop underwriting this barbaric abortion business.”
It seems that this is certainly illegal, both in the selling of human body parts and the selling of the parts of aborted fetuses.
“The sale or purchase of human fetal tissue a federal felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000 (42 U.S.C. 289g-2).”
This is, of course, shocking and disturbing. I hope that all Americans can condemn this action, existing laws can be enforced, and new laws can be created to protect the unborn from murder and trafficking.
The tragedy exposed here is another sign that the safe, legal, and rare approach to abortion was never a tenable position. The dehumanization of unborn children leads to the dehumanization of those who perform abortions, leading from killing living human beings to treating them explicitly as commodities.
At the same time, even those who may think abortion is a right need to take a step back and look at the consequences of their actions.
Dominic Bouck, O.P., is a Dominican brother of the Province of St. Joseph and a summer intern at First Things.
