Pro-life group says bodies of five aborted babies in DC obtained from medical waste truck driver

A press conference was held on Tuesday regarding the recovery of the bodies of five aborted children in Washington, D.C., in late March. As Live Action News previously reported, pro-life activists from Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU) were involved in the discovery of the children’s bodies. It has now been confirmed that the apartment from which the bodies were recovered is that of Lauren Handy, director of activism for PAAU. The group contends that they obtained the box containing the babies’ remains from a Curtis Bay Energy driver who had been sent to the abortion facility to pick up medical waste.

How the bodies were discovered and recovered

“I’m an atheist, I’m a leftist, and I’m the founder and executive director of PAAU,” activist Terrisa Bukovinac stated at the start of the press conference. “On Friday, March 25, the Day of the Unborn Child, Lauren Handy and I went to Washington Surgicenter to engage in anti-abortion advocacy. Upon arrival, we saw a truck labeled ‘Curtis Bay Medical Waste Services’ parked outside.” Bukovinac explained that she and Handy approached the driver because they saw two large boxes marked with biohazard symbols about to be loaded. They asked the driver if he knew what was in the boxes. The driver said he did not, so they informed him they were likely filled with the bodies of aborted babies and asked if they could take one of them.

“After he confirmed the boxes were from Washington [Surgi-Center], I asked him, ‘Would you get in trouble if we took one of these boxes?'” Bukovinac continued. “And he asked, ‘What would you do with them if you took one?’ Lauren said we would give them a proper burial and a funeral.” After a moment, the driver told them it was OK, so they brought the box to Handy’s apartment.

With a Catholic deacon present, Handy cut open the box, which contained a red plastic bag. Inside were the remains of 110 children, mostly in the first trimester. Underneath that was a plastic bag, containing the five children who seemingly underwent late abortions, and whom experts have stated were likely babies who could have survived outside the womb.

READ: Aborted babies discovered in DC may indicate infanticide after attempted abortions

The first was a “beautiful, intact baby boy,” whom the group named Christopher X. “I think I can speak for both Lauren and I, that this was the most devastating and soul-crushing experience of our lives,” Bukovinac said. “Not even years of anti-abortion advocacy could have prepared us for that moment. And it’s a moment that will live on for us for all of time.”

They also discovered four more babies, including an intact baby girl whom they named Harriet; she had one eye open and an incision in the back of her neck. Two other babies, both dismembered, were given the names Angel and Holly. The final baby, whole and still in the amniotic sac, was named Phoenix. While some later abortionists use feticide to cause cardiac arrest and prevent a live birth, Cesare Santangelo, the owner and abortionist at Washington Surgi-Center, admitted in a Live Action undercover investigator in 2013 that he does not use feticide.

Warning: Disturbing images below.

Bukovinac (left) and Handy hold up a sign listing the names they gave to the aborted babies they recovered.

“Because of this admission, and the advance gestational age of these babies and their intact condition, the likelihood that some were born alive is undeniable,” Bukovinac said. “Additionally, the injuries sustained by Harriet strongly imply she was the victim of a partial-birth abortion.”

This assessment is supported by experts interviewed by Live Action News.

Handy and Bukovinac arranged for a funeral Mass to be held for all 115 babies; the 110 smaller (likely aborted in the first-trimester) children were then taken to an undisclosed location for a respectful burial. Meanwhile, the activists spent the next three days trying to find an independent pathologist to confirm their suspicions regarding the five later abortion victims, and coordinated with police to have the bodies picked up so their deaths could be investigated. Instead, Handy was arrested by the FBI on March 30; police did not arrive until hours later. She and nine other pro-life activists have been indicted on federal charges for allegedly violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act in 2020.

Inhuman: Undercover in America's Late-Term Abortion Industry - Washington, D.C.

“Today, I stand in solidarity with Lauren, and the eight other defendants, who are facing harsh incarceration penalties under the FACE Act, for simply protecting the victims of violent oppression at Santangelo’s clinic,” Bukovinac concluded. “And while these heroes are being unjustly prosecuted, Santangelo continues to kill babies and exploit their parents for profit, as he has done for decades. This must end. We are demanding that the D.C. police conduct a full investigation into the deaths of these babies, including thorough autopsies. We demand the U.S. Department of Justice prosecute Santangelo for violations of the Born Alive Infants Protection Act and the Partial Birth Abortion Act. And we’re demanding it now. And in an effort to keep our promise to the Curtis Bay whistleblower, we demand a proper burial for the remaining five children, post autopsy. Pro-life Americans will not stay silent in the face of such aggressive and barbarous violence, and we will diligently work until the American abortion industrial complex is fully disarmed and dismantled.”

During the press conference, Handy gave an emotional testimony. “I made a promise of a funeral and burial,” she said. “It has been my desire since the beginning, since March 25th through the whole process, to ensure these children’s dignity were uplifted and respected.”

She explained that the five older babies, named Phoenix, Harriet, Christopher X, Angel, and Holly, were the victims of violent federal crimes, due to the pattern of their wounds. They arranged for the medical examiner to pick up the bodies.

Photographs depicting the heartbreaking situation are being shared, because, Bukovinac said, “We believe it is the right of these victims to have their full stories told. That means showing the reality of what abortion did to them.”

What Curtis Energy intended to do with the bodies

Pro-life activist Missy Smith urged people to remember the real issue at hand: Santangelo’s violent taking of innocent lives.

“The reason that the nine pro-lifers were arrested in Santangelo’s office in October 2020 was to expose him and save babies from his clutches,” she said. “In November 2020, I personally retrieved a full-term baby, on which Dr. Santangelo had induced an abortion. She was found in the toilet of a Maryland restaurant. I named her Philomena Grace, and we gave her a proper Catholic burial.”

Smith also noted that Curtis Bay Energy is allegedly burning the bodies of aborted babies to create energy for Baltimore. “This means, tragically, that they receive, transfer, and burn the corpses of aborted babies to make electricity for the households and businesses of the Baltimore area,” she said. “If you live in the Baltimore area, you must know that aborted babies have been burned to keep your lights on and your house warm. We call on Curtis Bay Energy to end this barbaric practice, and confirm publicly that they have done so.”

Press conference images

Curtis Bay Energy denies any involvement in transporting fetal remains or using them to make electricity.

“On March 25, a Curtis Bay employee took custody of three packages from the Washington Surgery Center (Washington Surgi Clinic) and delivered all of them to Curtis Bay’s incineration facility. At no time did the Curtis Bay employee hand over any of these packages to the PAAU or other third party, and any allegations made otherwise are false,” the company said in a statement. “As stated in client agreements and company policy, customers like Washington Surgi Clinic are prohibited from disposing of fetuses and human remains via Curtis Bay’s services. Curtis Bay provides its clients with medical waste bags and boxes to use in a manner that complies with applicable law, client agreements and company policy. Curtis Bay continues to fully cooperate with law enforcement.”

During the press conference, Bukovinac specifically responded to the Curtis Bay statement. “When we spoke with the driver, he did say that he had already scanned the boxes in, and that was right before he asked, ‘What would you do with them?'” she said. “So, I am not sure if Curtis Bay is lying, or if he already scanned them in, so therefore, they’re accounting for them. From our observation, there was [sic] only two boxes, but it’s possible he had loaded one onto the truck before we arrived. And it’s definitely possible that they don’t know what is inside the box. It’s possible Santangelo was in violation of his contract with Curtis Bay, by putting these babies in this box. But one of them is in the wrong. One of them needs to be held accountable.”

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