The
U.S. House Select Panel on Infant Lives held a hearing to investigate the sale
of fetal tissue from aborted babies.
Evidence presented at the hearing affirmed that the horrific practice is
indeed happening and that there is a market- and value- for a baby’s body
parts. “It is just horrifying,” said Rep.
Marsha Blackburn. “They are putting a dollar value on these organs from these
children—unborn children that have been aborted. It is just beyond belief.”
The Select Investigative Panel on Infant
Lives was created last October to investigate the use of middleman procurement
businesses in the transfer of fetal tissue from abortion clinics to
institutions or other organizations for research. Federal law prohibits the
profiting from the sale of baby parts as stipulated in the 1993 National
Institutes of Health Revitalization Act. Abortion supporter then-Congressman
Henry Waxman said of the law, “It would be abhorrent to allow for a sale of
fetal tissue and a market to be created for that sale.” However, failure to
enforce this law has resulted in a thriving market.
The law does permit payment to cover the
costs of the procurement of the tissue; however, with baby organs and tissue,
the procurement business handles all the tasks related to a transfer and comes
at no expense to the abortion clinic, making the clinic’s receipt of money for
baby tissue a clear violation of law.
One document presented at the hearing showed a procurement company advertising
its services as “financially profitable” and “providing a financial benefit to your clinic.”
According to documents exhibited at the
hearing, the market for unborn baby parts is a lucrative one. Over one year,
one research institution paid a middleman procurement company $42,535 for 38
fetal brains, 12 fetal hearts, 3 fetal upper/lower limbs, 5 fetal livers and 12
fetal pancreases. Additional documents
provided more evidence that baby’s body parts are valuable commodities being
bought and sold. According to one exhibit, the babies’ brains, ovaries, testes,
and hearts are the most profitable. Another exhibit showed researchers can
access a drop-down menu to take their pick of body parts to order, including
heart, lungs, esophagus, tongue and scalp, select the gestation period and then
check out.
Rep. Joe Pitts, R-PA, called it the
“Amazon.com of baby body parts”, describing it as “repulsive”.
The Panel is continuing its
investigation, subpoenaing organizations and delving deeper into the trafficking
of baby organs and tissue.
Links include Chairman Blackburn’s opening
statement, a white paper and background memo provided by the Select Panel’s
staff.
Complete video of the hearing on the Pricing of Fetal Tissue can be
viewed here.
Majority Witness Testimony
Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE) testimony, video and text
Mr. Brian Lennon, Partner with Warner Norcross &
Judd and Former Federal Prosecutor,
video and text
Mr. Michael Norton,
Attorney with Thomas N. Scheffel &
Associates, P.C., former US Attorney for Colorado under Presidents Reagan and
H.W. Bush, video and text
Ms. Catherine Glenn Foster, Associate Scholar with
the Charlotte Lozier Institute, CEO and General Counsel for Sound Legal, video and text
Mr. Kenneth Sukhia,
Sukhia Law Group and former US
Attorney under President H.W. Bush, video and text
Minority Witness Testimony
Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)
Ms. Fay Clayton, Robinson Curley & Clayton, P.C.
Mr. Robert Raben, The Raben Group
Panel Member statements and question to witnesses
Rep. Joe Pitts statement and question to
Mr. Sukhia
Rep. Diane Black statement and question to Mr. Lennon
Rep.
Larry Bucshon statement and questions to the panel
Rep.
Andy Harris statement and questions regarding IRBs
Rep.
Sean Duffy statement and questions to the panel
Rep.
Vicky Hartzler statement and question to the panel
Rep.
Mia Love statement and questions to the panel
Chairman
Blackburn questions to the panel