WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) — Pressure is mounting as lawyers from the D.C. FACE Act trials request the U.S. Congress to intervene in a situation in which the Department of Justice issued instructions for the destruction of evidence material to an abortion case that would potentially uncover federal crimes committed by notorious late-term abortionist Cesare Santangelo.
READ: DOJ advised DC medical examiner to dispose of aborted baby bodies: lawyer for pro-life activists
According to a report from the Daily Signal published Monday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has advised the Washington, D.C. medical examiner to discard the fetal remains of five late-term aborted babies. The bodies of the five babies, named by pro-lifers “the D.C. five,” were recovered from the Washington-Surgi Center by pro-life activists Lauren Handy and Terrisa Bukovinac in March 2022 in a box of fetal remains that included the mutilated bodies of over 100 first-trimester babies.
Although the District of Columbia and the DOJ have refused to conduct any investigation into the cause of death of the five, an initial medical examination of the bodies indicated that some of the babies died by infanticide — being left to die after being born alive, a crime that Santangelo was caught on video admitting he would do — and by partial birth abortion, which has been banned by Congress.
READ: Prosecutors strike infamous video of late-term abortionist from evidence in DC FACE Act trial
Either instance would constitute a violation of federal law: the Partial Birth Abortion Ban and the Born Alive Act.
Martin Cannon, an attorney for the Thomas More Society who represents Handy in the ongoing D.C. FACE Act trials, told LifeSiteNews that he has sent a letter to U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio requesting that Congress take up its own investigation of whether federal crimes were committed against the babies in question.
Such an investigation, which falls squarely within Congress’ jurisdiction on account of its direct oversight in the District of Columbia, would legally require that the fetal remains be preserved as material evidence.
READ: Jury in FACE Act trial not allowed to see shocking video of DC abortionist describing his work
In a statement sent to LifeSiteNews, Republican Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey, co-chair of the House Pro-Life Caucus, insisted that Congress directly intervene by demanding the preservation of the remains and conducting its own investigation into potential federal crimes. Smith said:
Under absolutely no circumstances should the DC Medical Examiner discard the bodies of the five innocent children whose lives were taken in such a barbaric manner. If the DOJ is not going to fulfill its duty to investigate the potential federal crimes committed against these child victims, then Congress should immediately take up its own investigation and demand the preservation of evidence. When they were alive, these babies deserved to be treated with respect and compassion. Now, after their violent slaughter, justice must be tenaciously pursued with a thorough investigation into the details surrounding their brutal deaths — no cover ups!
Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas joined his voice to Smith on Wednesday, also calling for the medical examiner to reject the DOJ curtailing federal law. Cruz told The Daily Signal:
Tragically, the D.C. Medical Examiner’s Office is in possession of the remains of babies who were victims of late-term abortions. The DOJ is now pressuring the medical examiner to destroy evidence and dispose of the remains. Instead of investigating whether these late-term abortions violated the Born-Alive Infant Protection Act, the DOJ is focused on destroying evidence and prosecuting pro-life protesters.
Destroying evidence is a grave threat to the rule of law, and it is another tragic chapter in the Biden DOJ’s sad history of having two justice systems.
The medical examiner should reject the DOJ’s lawless order to destroy evidence and instead conduct a proper investigation into whether these late-term abortions violated the Born-Alive Infant Protection Act, or, at minimum, allow for an autopsy by an outside group.
Pro-life groups such as CatholicVote also sent a joint letter to Congress demanding an investigation. They wrote:
‘We call on the House of Representatives to immediately intervene to demand these broken bodies are not discarded before the proper autopsies and investigations have occurred,’ the groups emphasized: ‘Additionally, we urge Members of Congress to offer their voice to speak out about the five innocent unborn children whose lives were brutally taken just three miles from the House chamber. The D.C. Five deserve justice and the Department of Justice must cease covering up potential evidence of infanticide and partial-birth abortion in our nation’s capital.’
Lila Rose of LiveAction issued a press release that said:
The brutally murdered children discovered outside the D.C. Abortion facility in 2022 shocked the conscience of the nation and prompted dozens of members of Congress to demand a proper investigation into the deaths of the children. That investigation never happened because the Biden administration’s Department of Justice wanted this issue to just go away. They did not want the American people to see the honest horrors of abortion, even when those horrors violated federal law.
Each baby lost to abortion is the victim of a serious injustice, yet our legal system neglects to protect them. Although laws in D.C. and at the federal level safeguard infants born alive and victims of the brutal practice of partial-birth abortion, authorities in these jurisdictions blatantly shirk their responsibility to enforce such laws. This constitutes a full-scale assault on children and any authority figure who turns a blind eye to this crisis shares in the guilt.
Members of Congress must step in and exercise their oversight authority over the District of Columbia, demand the preservation of these bodies and an in-depth investigation into whether their deaths violated federal law. The facility and abortionist responsible for the murder of the five children, The Washington Surgi-Clinic and its proprietor Cesare Santangelo, must also be investigated and shut down for their criminal activity.
In 2022 after the discovery of the fetal remains, the #JusticeForTheFive movement prompted congressional demand for the preservation of evidence and an investigation into the deaths of the babies.
LifeSiteNews reached out to Congressman Jordan’s office asking whether he will invoke Congressional oversight authority to conduct an investigation into whether federal crimes were committed in the deaths of any of the five babies. LifeSiteNews did not receive a response by the end of the day Wednesday, but will publish any forthcoming reply.
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