D.C. Mayor Refuses to Investigate Deaths of Five Full-Term Babies
In her first public comment on the case, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser gave no indication on April 8 that the city intends to autopsy the remains of five aborted babies that anti-abortion activists claim to have rescued from being disposed of as medical waste. Instead, in a letter responding to Republican lawmakers in Congress who wrote to her calling for the city to investigate whether the abortionist broke the federal law, Bowser said one of the activists may have broken federal law.
Bowser’s letter centered on anti-abortion activist Lauren Handy, who said she and Terrisa Bukovinac — both members of the Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU) — received the aborted baby remains outside of a local abortion clinic from the driver of a medical waste disposal company. The group says they recovered the remains of a total of 115 babies, five of whom were of late gestation. At the group’s request, the Metropolitan Police Department retrieved the remains of those five babies on March 30, according to PAAU. The other babies were given a funeral mass and dignified burial, the group says.
Bowser referred all questions regarding the indictment of Handy “for extremist anti-abortion activity” in D.C. in 2020 and “her claim of responsibility for tampering with fetal remains as reported last week” to the Department of Justice.
The April 5 letter that Republican lawmakers addressed to Bowser and MPD Chief Robert J. Contee III did not reference Handy’s indictment, however. Attorney General Merrick Garland also received a copy.
The lawmakers concluded with seven questions that they originally asked Bowser and Contee to answer by April 6. Among other things, they asked for autopsies and proper burials for the five babies of later gestation.
Handy, along with eight others, were indicted on March 30, the same day D.C. police retrieved the babies’ remains from her apartment. She was charged with conspiracy against rights and Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act) offense after an incident at the Washington Surgi-Clinic in 2020.
Washington Surgi-Clinic, where PAAU says the babies’ remains came from, is operated by Dr. Cesare Santangelo, an OBGYN and well-known abortionist in Washington. In 2013, the pro-life group Live Action released a video it secretly recorded in which Santangelo says that he would allow a child who survived an abortion attempt to die if the child was born during the procedure. CNA has contacted the clinic multiple times for comment and has received no response.
The Metropolitan Police Department is currently consulting with the United States Attorney’s Office for D.C. on both matters, Bowser said. (lifenews.com)
California Bill Would Allow Infanticide
California Assembly Bill 2223 contains a provision preventing any person from being subject to civil or criminal liability “based on actions or omissions with respect to their… alleged pregnancy outcome, including… perinatal death.” The “perinatal” period covers roughly from 28 weeks of pregnancy to 1-4 weeks post-birth.
Based on legal analysis of Assembly Bill 2223, and Maryland Bills 626 and 669, the legislation — as proposed — could handicap the investigations into the deaths of newborns and effectively legalize infanticide.
An official analysis provided by the chief counsel for the pro-abortion majority California State Assembly Committee on Judiciary stated that “the ‘perinatal death’ language could lead to an unintended and undesirable conclusion.” The analysis goes on to say that the bill may not be sufficiently clear that “perinatal death” is intended to be the consequence of a pregnancy complication. Thus, the bill could be interpreted to immunize a pregnant person from all criminal penalties for all pregnancy-related outcomes, including the death of a newborn for any reason during the “perinatal” period after birth, including a cause of death that is not attributable to pregnancy complications. (lifenews.com)
Prosecutors Plan to Appeal Finnish Politician Acquittal
Christians around the globe rejoiced when a Finnish court dismissed all hate speech charges against lawmaker and former interior minister Päivi Räsänen — but it seems her legal battle is reigniting. Finnish prosecutors reportedly intend to appeal the March 30 decision from the Helsinki District Court to throw out charges, meaning Räsänen’s religious freedom battle is far from over.
As previously reported, Räsänen, whose criminal trial began Jan. 24 and ended Feb. 14, was charged with violating the dignity and equality of the LGBTQ population by engaging in purported hate speech. She told Faithwire in February her plight began on June 17, 2019, when she tweeted the text of Rom. 1:24-27, which condemns homosexuality as sinful.
Her attorneys with ADF International were reportedly told of the appeal on April 6, after Prosecutor General Raija Toiviainen’s office told a local attorney the case will be appealed. The politician, in reaction to reports about an appeal, said she’s in “dismay,” according to Christian Today. (faithwire.com)
