Rep. Luna demands Justice for the Five at House committee hearing

In her testimony during a House Committee on Oversight and Accountability hearing on crime in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, Representative Anna Paulina Luna questioned why no action has been taken regarding the bodies of five babies found in a biohazard box outside of the Washington Surgi-Center abortion facility in Washington D.C. one year ago. Those babies appeared to have been killed late in pregnancy or left to die after birth, with one estimated to possibly have been as old as 32 weeks.

Warning: graphic images

In March of 2022, anti-abortion activists discovered the babies in a box marked with biohazard symbols as it was being wheeled out of the abortion facility. After being given the box by the Curtis Bay Energy driver who had been sent to the abortion facility to pick up medical waste, the anti-abortion activists discovered the bodies of 115 aborted children, five of whom were old enough to survive outside of the womb. Over a year later, no action has been taken — and pro-life groups, along with Rep. Luna, are demanding justice.

“The five babies are: Christopher, a […] baby boy whose body was almost fully intact,” she said. “Harriet, a baby who was born with one eye open. Phoenix, a baby that was born en caul meaning in the amniotic sac. And Holly and Angel, two babies that were dismembered and mutilated to the point that they were in pieces.”

The children were named by members of the Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU), who recovered their bodies. Luna included photos of the babies for those present at the hearing so they could see the horrors inflicted upon the babies. Present were members of the city council, including D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, as well as Greggory Pemberton, Chairman of the D.C. Police Union.

“Some of my colleagues on this committee say that they care about the safety of children, yet they have … turn[ed] a blind eye to this awful situation because it does not fit their narrative. And I encourage all of you again to continue — because I see people not looking at these photos — to look at these photos because this is horrific. And this is known as late-term abortion,” she said. “The lack of oversight on this situation has allowed Dr. Cesare Santangelo, who has two open lawsuits against him for botched abortions, to continue practicing despite these open lawsuits and medical malpractice. Even if you are for choice, you cannot argue that this man should still have his medical license. One of his victims, of which he killed, showed during an autopsy that there were fetal remains lodged in her lung due to the botched abortion. How is this doctor who [charges] up to $12,000 per late-term abortion still allowed to practice as a medical provider in this city? It is clear that there is no regard for human life, the Hippocratic Oath, or humanity.”

Luna also asked the committee if they were aware of the five children, noting that there was evidence that at least one child was born alive, and questioned why no legal action had been taken. While some had never heard of the babies, Mendelson said that if the allegations are found to be true against Santangelo having botched an abortion that killed a woman, he would support revoking Santangelo’s medical license.

“[…] I’m appalled by this situation,” Luna concluded. “I appreciate your willingness to look into this case. But I do believe that because of what’s happened in Washington D.C. with the lack of oversight to include within the criminal codes of this city to see what’s actually taking place, I would fully support removing the Home Rule [Act, allowing Congress to block any laws passed by the D.C. council] and I don’t believe D.C. will ever be a state.”

In a press release, Live Action founder and president Lila Rose said, “These children deserved life, not death at the hands of a man still practicing ‘medicine’ in D.C. named Cesare Santangelo. The D.C. Council and mayor have abandoned every principle of justice by shielding this killer and refusing to investigate, or even do a basic autopsy, on these children. President Biden’s Department of Justice has also abdicated its duty to enforce the federal laws that were broken in the deaths of these five children. I thank Representative Anna Paulina Luna for forcing D.C. leaders to look at the images of these babies who were murdered, and I urge the pro-life majority in the House of Representatives to hold a full investigation on this matter and demand Justice for the Five.”

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