Two companies that sold aborted baby parts are being forced to shut down and pay $7.8 million in a lawsuit settlement with the Orange County district attorney’s office.
The settlement comes on the heels of the announcement that the Department of Justice has launched an investigation into Planned Parenthood’s corrupt business practices.
Planned Parenthood’s sister companies DaVinci BioSciences and DV Biologics were exposed in 2016 by the Center for Medical Progress’s undercover videos which caught them violating California law by illegally harvesting and discussing the sale of aborted baby parts. In the video, Dr. Jennifer Russo, then Medical Director at Planned Parenthood of Orange & San Bernardino Counties details how her company was working with DaVinci BioSciences. The two companies have been doing business with each other since 2008. at Planned Parenthood of Orange & San Bernardino Counties. When asked by an undercover “buyer” what types of aborted specimens that DaVinci BioSciences prefers, Russo responded with “They take the whole specimen.”
The Orange County Register reported:
Prosecutors said the companies in 2009 hired marketing consultants and launched an advertising campaign with “summer sales” and promotional discounts. Items were advertised in a catalog with prices ranging from $40 for a vial of “total RNA” cells from several fetal tissue sources to $1,100 for a vial of specific cells.
By 2015, the companies had generated more than $1.5 million from at least 500 sales to research facilities, selling products for more than what it actually cost to process, handle and ship the tissue, prosecutors said.
Employees were also paid a commission on profits they earned from the packing and handling charges, prosecutors said.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the two companies settled a lawsuit after agreeing to cease operations in California within the next 60-120 days and pay $7.8 million dollars in damages and fees. More from the Times:
The agreement also requires the companies to admit liability for violations of state and federal laws prohibiting the sale or purchase of fetal tissue for research purposes, prosecutors said.
“This settlement seized all profits from DV Biologics and DaVinci Biosciences, which they acquired by viewing body parts as a commodity and illegally selling fetal tissues for valuable consideration. These companies will never be able to operate again in Orange County or the state of California,” Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas said in a statement.
This settlement and closure of two companies closely affiliated with Planned Parenthood for the past 9+ years show that the Department of Justice’s investigation is long overdue. Hopefully, Planned Parenthood will soon also be forced to cease operations just as these two affiliates in California have been.
