BARBARIC: In fifth Planned Parenthood video, woman describes removing brain from baby with heartbeat
LOS ANGELES (Christian Examiner) – The latest video from the Center for Medical Progress (CMP), the group that has accused Planned Parenthood of selling organs from aborted babies, features images of a fully intact aborted fetus moving its limbs and a harrowing account of the "harvesting" of an intact brain from a baby whose heart was still beating.
The video, released Aug. 19 and titled "Planned Parenthood's Custom Abortions for Superior Product," is the third in a series of videos on the "human capital" harvested and shipped by Planned Parenthood in exchange for "reimbursements" the abortion provider claims are legal.
Several videos, however, have already exposed Planned Parenthood officials negotiating the sale of fetal body parts and describing their motivations. One employee of the abortion provider in Houston described how delivering intact organs could improve the abortion provider's bottom line. Another Planned Parenthood doctor jokingly claimed she wanted to negotiate the price so she could buy a Lamborghini (an Italian sportscar).
The newest video, like the previous one, focuses on the eyewitness account of Holly O'Donnell, described as a "former blood and tissue procurement specialist" for StemExpress, which aided Planned Parenthood in providing fetal organs to research facilities. In the previous video, O'Donnell claimed her front office provided her with a list of needed organs, after which abortion doctors changed their method of abortion to obtain the organs intact.
She gave me the scissors and told me that I had to cut down the middle of the face. I can't even begin to describe what that feels like," .... "Then I realized I was the only person ever to hold that baby.
Changing the method of abortion to obtain fetal tissue is a federal crime. So is killing a child born alive or with a discernable heartbeat. In the video, however, O'Donnell claims she witnessed and participated in such an action firsthand.
At Planned Parenthood Mar Monte's Alameda clinic in San Jose, O'Donnell says in the video, her supervisor told her to harvest the brain of a fully-intact fetus. Her supervisor then asked her if she wanted to "see something kind of cool."
"And she just taps the heart, and it starts beating. And I'm sitting here and I'm looking at this fetus and its heart is beating, and I don't know what to think," O'Donnell says in the video. "I don't know if that constitutes [whether] it's technically dead, or it's alive."
Doctors admit hearts can still beat after abortion procedures
In the most gruesome portion of the video, O'Donnell describes how her supervisor instructed her to remove the brain from the fetus – by cutting through the face in order to get to it.
"She gave me the scissors and told me that I had to cut down the middle of the face. I can't even begin to describe what that feels like," O'Donnell says.
O'Donnell then pauses and says, "Then I realized I was the only person ever to hold that baby."
A familiar player in the controversy also appears in the video. Dr. Deborah Nucatola, featured in CMP's first video exposé on Planned Parenthood's sale of fetal tissue, makes another appearance discussing how some doctors will use "ultrasound guidance" to rotate a fetus into position where the intact head can be harvested.
The video also features Dr. Ben Van Handel, executive director of Novogenix Laboratories LLC, and Perrin Larton, procurement manager for Advanced Bioscience Resources, Inc. Both companies work closely with Planned Parenthood to harvest fetal organs intact.
In one segment, Van Handel confirms "there are times when after the procedure is done that the heart is still beating."
In a statement Aug. 15, StemExpress announced it was ending its relationship with Planned Parenthood, but would continue aiding in the process of medical research.
"Due to the increased questions that have arisen over the past few weeks, we feel it prudent to terminate activities with Planned Parenthood. While we value our relationship with Planned Parenthood, that work represents a small percentage of our overall business activity and we must focus our limited resources on resolving these inquiries."
"StemExpress looks forward to the swift resolution of all inquiries and audits so we can focus our full attention on helping the medical and research community improve and save lives," the statement also says.
Several pro-life legal groups are again calling for the defunding of Planned Parenthood as a result of the new video. Liberty Counsel's Mat Staver said in a statement:
"We are living in dark times .... Planned Parenthood uses our tax dollars to fund its massacre of helpless children. You and I are complicit because part of our tax money is going into the hands of people who are cutting out organs of developed babies and selling them to the highest bidder.
"Future generations will look back on us the way we look at the brutality of Nazi Germany or ISIS and wonder how we could have allowed innocent babies to be slaughtered. Congress must act to immediately stop funding Planned Parenthood."
Marissa Poulson with Alliance Defending Freedom wrote that dissecting a baby with a still-beating heart is not "cool," but "heinous."
"Whether it's signing a petition to investigate and defund Planned Parenthood, whether it's contacting businesses that support Planned Parenthood, or contacting Congress to ask them to defund Planned Parenthood or thank your representatives who are working to do so, there are plenty of things that you can do right now to contribute to the movement to defund Planned Parenthood," Poulson wrote.
StemExpress has already sued CMP seeking to block release of information tying the company to the activities of Planned Parenthood. However, a California court recently ruled the company could not interfere with the journalistic activities of the anti-abortion advocacy group.
Planned Parenthood has not issued a statement about the latest video from CMP.
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