A frequent reaction to the groundbreaking Planned Parenthood aborted fetal body parts trafficking videos released starting in 2015 by investigative journalist David Daleiden has been shock and disbelief. Millions of Americans watched them, horrified at the apparent trafficking of aborted fetal body parts for financial profit, with multiple high-level Planned Parenthood executives confirming the facts on-camera with callous dismissiveness. An abortion-friendly media allied with Planned Parenthood attempted to discredit the videos, unjustly prosecute Daleiden and co-investigator Sandra Merritt, and sweep everything under the rug. Then, earlier this month, Daleiden wrote an op-ed for the Washington Examiner in which he shared evidence that second-trimester babies were potentially delivered alive via induction abortion in order to get the most “complete” and “sterile” specimens for use in research at the taxpayer-funded University of Pittsburgh.

Daleiden described research studies done by National Institutes of Health-funded Dr. Jorg Gerlach (or Joerg, depending on sources), an experimental surgeon, professor, and researcher at the University of Pittsburgh. Gerlach uses both fetal and embryonic stem cells in his research on liver cell-based therapies. In a 2012 study, Gerlach described developing a protocol for obtaining liver specimens according to “current Good Manufacturing Practice” (cGMP) guidelines set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.”

READ: Report: Planned Parenthood purging staffers linked to body parts scandal

In the op-ed, Daleiden quoted Gerlach in identifying two necessities of harvested organs in general, and liver specimens in his particular research, in order to meet cGMP guidelines: 1) sterility of the entire specimen 2) short time without circulation of blood to organs (i.e. short time between time of death and use for research). Dr. Gerlach’s study read: “The abortions associated with our protocol were performed by routine medical induction; the labor was induced by local prostaglandin administration. Because we obtained the tissue from intact abdomens and removed the livers surgically under cGMP conditions, the tissue could be obtained in a sterile manner.”

Daleiden said, “The FDA’s cGMP guidelines require sterile tissue transplantation products, which means the abortion must leave the fetus intact, with internal organs unexposed to external pathogens.” Basically, the specimen has to be in one piece and cannot be exposed to feticides (digoxin or potassium chloride) traditionally used to ensure fetal demise during induction abortions of second or third trimester preborn babies. Typically, a feticide is first injected into the baby’s heart while in the womb, and then prostaglandin medication is given to induce labor and delivery of the dead baby.

But, as Daleiden points out, this can’t happen for Gerlach’s research, because these medicines would contaminate the fetal tissue: “To a medical certainty, a 5-month-old fetus aborted intact by labor induction is alive at the time of delivery. Feticides such as digoxin cannot be used in a harvesting case, and the whole point of the Gerlach protocol is to obtain fresh, live, clean liver cells for transplantation minimizing time without circulation.”

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The research team described the collection process, saying, “The specimens were placed into sterile bags containing University of Wisconsin liver storage solution, and each specimen was transported on ice immediately after the abortion to minimize the transfer time until cell isolation,” then researchers “weighed” and “rinsed” the babies, then harvested their livers. Daleiden points out, “In other words, these babies either died when they were ‘submerged’ in bags for transport, or after their bodies were cut open to harvest their livers.”

Live Action News recently reported that the Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman has asked the FBI for an update on results from the 2016 criminal referrals of eight organizations, including Planned Parenthood Federation of America and four of its affiliates.

The harvesting of aborted children for research is more common than the public may realize. In 2015, the University of Wisconsin-Madison was exposed for buying aborted fetal body parts for research on humanized mice. In 2016, Live Action News reported on allegations that partial-birth abortions were done to get fetal kidneys and livers for University of New Mexico research. In September 2018, the Trump administration cancelled a contract between the HHS and fetal tissue procurement agency Advanced Bioscience Resources, which provided aborted baby body parts for government research into humanizing mice. Also in 2018, University of Washington researchers were exposed for trying to keep their identities secret while using taxpayer dollars to conduct research using aborted baby body parts. Most recently, President Trump’s administration cut ties with the University of California-San Francisco, which trains abortionists and uses aborted fetal body parts for research.

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