Lawmakers and pro-life groups call for investigation and justice for the ‘D.C. Five’
On Wednesday, February 14, representatives from Progressive Rebellion Against Abortion (PAAU), Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America (SBA), Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC), and Students for Life Action (SFLA) was joined by congressional representatives Chip Roy (R-Texas), Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Bob Good (R-Va.), Pat Fallon (R-Texas), Chris Smith (RN .J.) , and Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) in a press conference in Washington, DC The press conference discussed the current status of, and reasons for, organized efforts to secure justice for five children aborted at advanced gestational age get well through Lauren Handy and Terrisa Bukovinac out of the Washington Surgi-Clinic in March of 2022.
According to medical expertsthe bodies of these five babies – given names Christopher X, Harriet, angel, Hollyand Phoenix of activists who find them – can present evidence that federal crimes were committed by Cesare Santangelo, the abortionist who killed them. However, the DC authorities have neglected to investigate the deaths of infants, choosing instead to investigate the activists who brought the brutal killings of children to public attention.
Earlier this month, the Department of Justice (DOJ) reported. ordered the DC Medical Examiner to destroy the bodies of the babies. It launched a coalition effort to protect the bodies of the children, often referred to as “the DC Five.” This effort has been successful – at least for now.
Representative Chip Roy was the first to speak at this morning’s press conference. He emphasized that “we have laws on the books” that prohibit “barbaric practices” such as dilation and extraction (D&X), also known as “partial-birth abortion,” and infanticide. The Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 declared D&X procedures a federal crime, while the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act of 2002 was designed to protect abortion survivors from infanticide. Medical experts have suggested that some of the DC five may have been killed by D&X methods, while others may have been born alive and left to die no medical care.
“The DC Five abortion case is terrifying, period,” said Representative Andy Biggs, who spoke next. “We must discover what happened and hold those individuals accountable,” he urged, adding, “The DOJ’s effort to dispose of these bodies without conducting an investigation is simply malpractice, and it is wrong. … We need hearings. We need a proper burial for these children. We need to respect their lives.”
Representative Bob Good spoke next. “The very law enforcement tasked with protecting the most vulnerable in our society has been complicit in covering up the cold-blooded killing of these precious lives,” he said. “We called for transparency [about] how these babies were killed. Americans should know that federal law was violated right here in Washington, DC in these tragic cases.
Representative Pat Fallon, who spoke next, said: “We are here to stand up for the voiceless. … Shortly after the discovery of the remains, congressional Republicans in 2022 cried out and demanded autopsy and investigation. Fast forward: no autopsy, no investigation. You have to ask yourself, why? Are we a nation of laws or not? Is the Justice Department really delivering justice?” He added, “These are murders…. And yet, nothing was done…. It is time for Congress to conduct its own investigation.”
Representative Chris Smith reminded his audience about the case of well-known abortionist and convicted murderer, Kermit Gosnell. “There are Kermit Gosnells all over America – predators, child abusers, exploiters of women,” he said. “Will the American people ever be told the horrifying details of how, and how often, abortionists mutilate, mutilate, and poison innocent babies?” he asked. “Don’t destroy the evidence. There is no cover-up. We demand justice.”
Terrisa Bukovinac described finding the DC Five as “the most harrowing experience I’ve ever had.” He described the public’s awareness of the horrors experienced by these babies as having “so much power that it could change the course of history forever,” as images of Emmett Till our country was once surprised by the demand for equal civil rights for Black Americans.
Penny Nance, President and CEO of CWALAC, described the cause of justice for the DC five as both a “left and right issue.” “If you believe in human rights,” he said, “you need to understand what happened and stand with us now.”
Speakers also include Rep. Anna Paulina Luna; Jamie Dangers, Legislative Director for the SBA; and Savanna Deretich, Government Affairs Coordinator for SFLA.
