Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) announced on Friday that the cremation of the “DC 5” — the five aborted babies’ bodies uncovered by pro-life activists in Washington, D.C. — would be delayed.
Roy cited a press release from ACLJ (American Center for Law & Justice) — a D.C.-headquartered nonprofit using legal means to push for the investigation of the deaths of the recovered babies.
“We contacted D.C. one final time in an attempt to resolve this issue and delay action on the disposition of the remains of these babies before we filed our lawsuit,” ACLJ posted Friday. “We have just received assurances that the D.C. government is standing down from today’s cremation.”
The full update can be viewed below:
UPDATE 02.09.2024: The ACLJ was preparing to file an emergency writ of mandamus on behalf of our client to force D.C. officials to follow the law and allow for the proper burial of these babies. We contacted D.C. one final time in an attempt to resolve this issue and delay action on the disposition of the remains of these babies before we filed our lawsuit. We have just received assurances that the D.C. government is standing down from today’s cremation. What this means is that we were successful in preventing the Biden DOJ and D.C. from destroying the evidence of potential crimes and from simultaneously blocking the honoring of these young lives with a proper burial. The D.C. government also indicated to us that they will respond to Congress’ demands. We continue to hope that D.C. will in fact conduct a formal investigation into these babies’ deaths.
🚨🚨🚨UPDATE on the DC 5:
This is a welcome development. We are so grateful for the work of @ACLJ, @PAAUNOW & everyone in the pro-life movement to prevent this evidence from being destroyed so that justice can be sought these children.
Their lives mattered. The fight continues pic.twitter.com/tf4AVWWWWI
— Rep. Chip Roy Press Office (@RepChipRoy) February 9, 2024
ACLJ contends that the babies’ bodies must be investigated before they are humanely buried. The nonprofit says the bodies could uncover “evidence of potential infanticide and illegal partial-birth abortions that could have been committed by a known late-term abortionist.”
“In March 2022, the bodies of five pre-term babies were discovered by the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department,” the group said. “These children were apparently from the Washington Surgi-Clinic in Washington, D.C., a facility operated by the late-term abortionist Cesare Santangelo.”
“Instead of ensuring that the horrific deaths of these children were properly investigated, the police made the assumption that each child died as a result of a legal abortion,” the post continued. “They made this assumption without conducting any medical evaluations or autopsies whatsoever. In fact, some doctors have examined pictures of these babies and found evidence that would support the conclusion that these children were killed through illegal and egregious partial-birth abortions.”
Progressive Anti Abortion Uprising (PAAU) founder Terrisa Bukovinac and pro-life activist Lauren Handy claim they received the babies’ bodies from a worker at the abortion clinic before they were to be incinerated at a medical waste facility, Fox News reported last year.
“Lauren and I will carry the memories of these children with us forever and we will never stop fighting for their justice,” Bukovinac said.
Following the discovery, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) called for Santangelo’s medical license to be revoked.
“We are so grateful to Rep. Luna for her courage and we demand that Congress follow her lead by conducting hearings for these children, holding their killer to account, and by passing a national ban at viability to ensure these crimes against humanity never happen again,” Bukovinac added.
Last year, the Biden Department of Justice successfully convicted five pro-life activists, including Handy, for demonstrating at the Washington Surgi-Clinic, which the DOJ said violated the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, also known as the FACE Act.
Handy and the others — John Hinshaw, Heather Idoni, William Goodman, and Herb Geraghty — face 11 years behind bars and were thrown in jail to await their sentences. The activists also each face fines totaling around $350,000.