California D.A. sues companies that worked with Planned Parenthood to harvest fetal parts

The Planned Parenthood baby body parts scandal took on a new twist this week when the Orange County, California, district attorney’s office announced it is suing two local biomedical companies implicated in the Planned Parenthood videos. The suit accuses the companies of selling fetal body parts for profit. The Orange County Register reports that the suit alleges, “DaVinci Biosciences and its sister company DV Biologics advertised and sold hundreds of units of fetal tissue and stem cells to research facilities around the world, collecting tens of thousands of dollars in revenue.”

District Attorney Tony Rackauckas held a news conference Wednesday in which he outlined the accusations against the biomedical companies. In his statement, printed in full here, Rackauckas emphasized, “This case is NOT about whether it should be lawful to sell fetal parts or whether fetal tissue research is ethical or legal. We are simply charging these Defendants with illegally selling hundreds of fetal tissue products for profit.”

The statement notes some profits received, per fetal part:

• Heart – up to $674 in profit

• Liver – up to $233 in profit

• Stomach – up to $221 in profit

• Small Intestine – up to $664 in profit

The statement summarizes the timeline of the case:

A photo from the press conference, including a prop the DA used to demonstrate that the fetal parts being sold are coming from actual human beings.

The Center for Medical Progress, which exposed the companies and their relationship with Planned Parenthood, issued a statement Wednesday, saying:

Planned Parenthood OC Changes Abortions to Harvest Intact Fetuses for Local Company's Sales

Also taking sharp interest in the lawsuit is the chairman of the House Select Panel on Infant Lives, Rep. Marsha Blackburn, who has championed the investigation into the many tentacles of the fetal parts industry. Blackburn issued a statement that said:

And while the Los Angeles Times reports that “Planned Parenthood said the organization was not involved in the case,” Blackburn says otherwise, adding:

In response to the district attorney’s lawsuit, Live Action president and founder Lila Rose released the following statement:

Planned Parenthood continues to see the consequences of the wide-reaching investigation exposing its role in fetal parts trafficking. While this case is directed at the biomedical companies, one thing is certain: as the suit progresses, all the stakeholders will be exposed.

The Orange County district attorney’s statement on the case can be read in full here.