Yet he was willing to exploit these dead bodies, irrespective of the families' wishes, so that he could pull off an anti-abortion publicity stunt. Exploitation of fetal remains has become a standard tactic for anti-abortion activists. During the Democratic Convention in 1992, Harley David Belew presented a dead fetus to Bill Clinton. Activists have thrust dead fetuses at women during clinic protests, pulled them out as evidence in the courtroom, and thrown them at politicians on the campaign trail. The disposition of fetal remains and body parts is already strictly regulated by Federal law.
Violators are subject to criminal penalties.
By passing HR 350, the House has voted to investigate the wrong issue. They disregarded the consensus achieved by the scientists, ethicists, and elected officials who wrote the laws, and their actions insure that anti-abortion zealots will be allowed to continue exploiting fetal remains for propaganda purposes. This page created by the Office of Communications and maintained by dwright . Last modified on July 21, 2000.