This may not be the most gruesome video in the ongoing series of undercover videos by exposing Planned Parenthood, but it could be the most incriminating. In this tenth Center for Medical Progress video, Planned Parenthood leadership is repeatedly caught discussing how the organization sells fetal body parts for profit, how they encourage it even though it is against the law, and how they cover their tracks.

Most of the recorded conversations appear to be taking place after an abortion conference has just concluded. Deb VanDerhei, the National Director of Planned Parenthood’s Consortium of Abortion Providers, freely admits that some abortion providers are making money from the sales. She says, “We have independent colleagues who generate a fair amount of income doing this.” That there is a federal law against profiting from the sale of aborted baby parts doesn’t appear to weigh heavily on her as she explains this.

Dr. Vanessa Cullins, Vice President for External Medical Affairs, PPFA, at least appears to be aware of how legally risky the profiteering is, as she alludes to how careful they must be negotiating the sales since the activity is illegal: “This is important, this could destroy your company and us, if we don’t time these conversations correctly.”

VanDerhei says Planned Parenthood has no national policy regarding how much each individual location can charge for selling fetal parts, discusses how they handle dealing with the highly sensitive illegal activity, and doesn’t merely mention, but proudly relays how profitable it is for some of their locations:

We’re trying to figure out as an industry how we’re going to handle remuneration, because the headlines would be a disaster … And that if you do decide that you want to engage in remuneration, that you really need to, like, think that through. And think, ‘New York Times headline’ when
you’re creating your policy … If they do it we’re not going to say no … We have independent colleagues who generate a fair amount of income doing this. And if they have smaller margins or don’t have the ability to fundraise because they’re not a nonprofit, that’s really helpful. Well it’s an issue you might imagine that we’re not that comfortable talking about on email.

Deborah Nucatola, Planned Parenthood’s Senior Director of Medical Services, emphatically states that Planned Parenthood deliberately avoids having guidelines on selling fetal body parts, the implication being the organization is hiding culpability. “There are no PP guidelines on tissue procurement, only research,” she said. “And there will never be guidelines.”

Vanessa Russo, the Compliance Program Administrator for Planned Parenthood Keystone, said she had been with the organization only a year but did not think they should worry about complying with the law (selling fetal body parts for profit is a felony). “I, sort of, my stance on this is like, we feel like we can’t consent to be bullied by ridiculous laws, and this media doesn’t understand the big picture,” she said. “And I don’t really think that we should participate in that level of discussion … we should not curtail our business for ridiculousness.”

VanDerhei responded, assuring her, “I don’t think anybody was suggesting that you curtail. The message to me, that I heard today, was ‘Go for it, we think it’s a great idea, just do it right.'”

Russo continued defending the illegal profiteering. “A company like this that wants to give our organization money for the tissue, I think that’s a valid exchange,” she said. “And that’s OK. Providing that we are very sensitive to the patient, and the consent, and all of that. I don’t see a problem with that.”

VanDerhei responded, “Well I think a Congressional hearing from, you know, scared the Bejeezus out of people 15 years ago, and there was a Congressional hearing …” She goes on to explain that someone had “fraudulently” accused PP of modifying their procedures in order to improve the condition of the aborted fetus for the aftermarket. But then the video cuts to a segment from one of the previous CMP sting videos showing Nucatola, PP’s Senior Director of Medical Services, explaining how she in fact does modify abortion procedures in order to get intact parts.

VanDerhei concluded her advice to Russo thus: “Yeah, I think go for it. And use us to the extent that you can. And I know Northern California, Mar Monte, and L.A., they all provide donation for remuneration. So they would also be people to check with about how that goes.”

After Russo walked off, VanDerhei expressed her concern that Russo didn’t think Planned Parenthood was brazen enough: “I hope that she didn’t leave thinking that we were saying, ‘Don’t do it.’ Because Roger [Evans, head of Planned Parenthood Litigation & Law] said, ‘I’m going to say a number of things, and I only want you to go away with one message: I think this is a good idea. Now, here’s what you need to look out for, and at the end of it, I just need to reiterate, I think this is a good idea.'”

As an attorney, Evans should know better than to advise an organization to commit felonies. He may find himself the subject of a bar complaint. The evidence of felonies continues to pile up, as it now appears Planned Parenthood leadership deliberately engaged in obstruction of justice to cover up the illegal selling within the organization.

There is now more than enough evidence for Congress to take action, beginning with defunding Planned Parenthood.