3 highlights from Marjorie Taylor Greene's hearing on aborted baby parts 'black market'
Experimentation
Another one of the issues discussed during the hearing is the use of body parts from aborted babies in scientific experiments.
Daleiden objected not only to using parts from aborted babies in research projects but also to what he described as an incentive for facilities to perform more abortions to meet the "experimental demand" for certain parts.
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"So, it basically adds a second level of abortion quotas to the clinic's operations," Daleiden said.
Former abortion workers have claimed that Planned Parenthood sets abortion quotas for its facilities to meet each year. One former worker The Christian Post interviewed earlier this year claimed that a Planned Parenthood manager told her that abortion is how the corporation makes its money.
Daleiden highlighted recent reports from CMP, including documents obtained via a public records request that the group alleged earlier this month are proof Planned Parenthood violated federal law. The documents show Planned Parenthood agreeing to transfer "proprietary" aborted baby body parts to the University of California San Diego for "valuable consideration."
CMP asserted in its report that transferring aborted human fetal tissue for "valuable consideration" is a federal felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison or a fine of up to $500,000.
According to the CMP founder, in the years since the contract's establishment, some of UC San Diego's financial backers began extending millions of dollars in grant support to Planned Parenthood. Daleiden cited this as an example of the "multiple streams of revenue" going to abortion facilities as a result of harvesting aborted baby body parts.
The pro-life activist also raised concerns about experiments using aborted baby parts at the University of Pittsburgh and how Planned Parenthood reportedly supplies the university with parts from abortions.
In a September 2020 study, researchers described using the parts of babies aborted at 18 to 20 weeks gestation to create humanized mice and rat models to analyze infections. Researchers grafted the aborted babies' scalps onto the backs of rodents for the study.
During Tuesday's hearing, Daleiden pointed to a December report CMP released concerning documents it obtained alongside the conservative activist group Judicial Watch. The documents appear to show that federal law enforcement officials opened an investigation into the university's GUDMAP program.
In August 2021, CMP obtained a grant application with the help of Judicial Watch that the University of Pittsburgh submitted to the NIH to become a distribution hub for the GenitoUrinary Developmental Molecular Anatomy Project. Based on several statements the university made in the application, the pro-life group believes there is a possibility it may have harvested organs from aborted babies while they were still alive.
Daleiden noted during the hearing that there have yet to be any updates about the investigation described in the documents CMP released in December.
In 2021, the Washington, D.C.-based law firm Hyman, Phelps & McNamara released the results of its investigation into the university. The report stated that the University of Pittsburgh is "fully compliant with federal and state regulatory requirements" regarding fetal tissue research.
Pro-life advocates and Republican lawmakers, however, argue that the investigation did not go far enough.
At one point, Rep. Miller asked Daleiden if ethical alternatives are available, with the CMP founder pointing to blood from the umbilical cord as an alternative in certain cases.
Tara Sander Lee of the pro-life Charlotte Lozier Institute also asserted ethical solutions are available during a 2018 hearing titled "Exploring Alternatives to Fetal Tissue Research." The scientist cited stem cells from cord blood in addition to fresh human tissue from adults as viable alternatives.
Another issue raised during the hearing is the amount of money the NIH spends on experiments using aborted baby body parts, with Daleiden voicing concerns about the NIH's reporting. The pro-life activist claimed that the NIH "self-reports" how much it spends on funding such experiments.
The pro-life activist testified that the NIH did not list the baby-scalping experiment, which Daleiden noted was supported by NIH grants. According to the CMP founder, the NIH did not report those grants in its public database.
"It does not seem to capture all of the fetal experimentation money that is being spent," Daleiden told lawmakers.
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
