Texas Governor Greg Abbott has called for an immediate investigation into any practice dealing with the harvesting of fetal organs and tissues by abortionists.
The governor’s order comes in the wake of the release of a shocking video showing a Planned Parenthood executive discussing how abortionists terminate a child intact so body parts can be procured.
In a statement obtained by Breitbart Texas, the Texas governor said, “The video of a high-level Planned Parenthood executive discussing the details of internal abortion procedures – including harvesting of baby body parts – is unnerving and appalling.”
Governor Abbott continued, “In light of the video, I have directed the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to conduct an immediate investigation of this alleged practice in addition to a separate investigation ordered by the Texas Office of the Attorney General.”
The undercover video that is at the center of this controversy was filmed last summer by David Daleiden of the pro-life organization Center for Medical Progress. Daleiden was able to get the video when he posed as a representative of a start-up biotech firm that was in the business of buying fetal body parts.
The pro-life group issued the following statement yesterday after the release of the video stating, “Planned Parenthood makes two key admissions in their statement today: 1) aborted fetal parts are harvested at their clinics, and 2) money is exchanged in connection with this.”
The statement from the Center of Medical Progress continues, “They also tell several lies: 1) That proper consent is obtained from patients, 2) That Planned Parenthood does not make money off the body parts, and 3) that everything is legal.”
As reported by Breitbart News, the video released by Daleiden shows Planned Parenthood’s senior director of medical services, Dr. Deborah Nucatola, saying, “A lot of people want intact hearts these days, because they are looking for specific nodes.” She continues saying that lungs, intact livers, and lower extremities are also desired. She discusses with Daleiden her relationship with Stem Express, a middleman in the buying and selling of fetal tissue.
Breitbart News reported that Stem Express charges $400 to $25,000 for stem cells grown from fetal organs.
In the video, Nucatola stresses how providers “just want to do it in a way that is not perceived as this clinic is selling tissue, this clinic is making money off of this.” She says that pricing per specimen can range from $30 – $100 per specimen.
The Planned Parenthood executive also goes into great detail about how specific fetal body parts are ordered, and how an abortionist performs the procedure to make sure those parts can be harvested without damage.
The buying or selling human body parts is a felony under federal law and carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $500,000.
Lana Shadwick is a contributing writer and legal analyst for Breitbart Texas. She has served as a prosecutor and an associate judge. Follow her on Twitter @LanaShadwick2
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