Arlington, Va., Oct 31, 2008 / 00:51 am
Students for Life of America (SFLA) has released a new undercover video of a nurse at a New Jersey Planned Parenthood facility describing how an abortion would be performed on a 22 week-old unborn child and admitting that some babies survive such abortions.
“It does happen,” the nurse said.
The video evidence suggests that the practice of allowing babies who survive abortions to die without care continues.
In the video a pregnant woman speaks with a Planned Parenthood nurse at a Freehold, New Jersey facility reportedly funded by federal taxpayers under Title X.
Under Title X guidelines facilities that receive funding cannot use the funds to cover pregnancy care, such as obstetric or prenatal care and cannot use the money to provide abortions. According to title’s statutes, health care workers must provide neutral, non-directive information on the options available to their clients. This includes referrals for prenatal care and delivery; infant care, foster care or adoption; and abortion.
In SFLA’s video, the nurse explains to the pregnant woman the late-term abortion procedure, while the woman questions the nurse about the details.
“Is the baby alive?” asks the pregnant woman.
“Usually not,” the nurse replies.
The woman again asks if the baby could be born alive, to which the nurse responds:
“Usually, for the most part no, but it does happen.”
“It’s an actual delivery,” her explanation continues, “but it wouldn’t be able to survive on its own, so eventually the baby does die.”
The SFLA video also criticizes Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama for opposing a state Born Alive Infants Protection Act while an Illinois lawmaker. Obama argued that the bill would violate Roe v. Wade, was medically unnecessary, and would burden “the original decision of the woman and the physician to induce labor and perform an abortion.”
Kristan Hawkins, SFLA Executive Director, commented on the video:
“I was absolutely stunned when the Planned Parenthood nurse revealed that allowing a baby to die after being born alive is a common practice for abortionists. It begs the question of why a presidential candidate will not support human rights protections for babies born alive during an abortion procedure. This is outright infanticide, and a candidate for President defends it!”
SFLA has called on Congress to investigate Planned Parenthood, which reportedly receives about $300 million in taxpayer funding each year. Additionally, the group asks that Sen. Obama explain and reconsider his opposition to protecting those who survive abortions.
The video is viewable on YouTube and on Eyeblast at http://www.eyeblast.tv/public/video.aspx?v=e46UqG8zSU
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