August 5, 2015

Dear Governor Bruce Rauner:

On July 13, 2015, July 21, 2015, July 28, 2015, July 30, 2015, and August 3, 2015, the
Center for Medical Progress released five undercover investigation videos much like the style
used by 60 Minutes. The investigative journalists posed as a biotech start-up company that was
interested in partnering with Planned Parenthood to collect fetal baby parts following an
abortion.1 The footage captured revealed Planned Parenthood senior executives making
extremely legally troubling and morally offensive statements that Planned Parenthood may be
selling aborted fetal body parts including lungs, hearts, livers, extremities, and heads. As noted
in point four of this letter, Illinois was specifically discussed in the first video as a fabulous
place to obtain harvested fetal body parts. We are asking you to investigate Planned Parenthood
and eliminate all Illinois funds directed towards Planned Parenthood.
There are five key points you need to be aware of.
1. The first investigative video released on July 13, 2015, shows Dr. Deborah Nucatola, senior
medical services director for Planned Parenthood, making statements that Planned
Parenthood affiliates may make a profit on the sale of harvested fetal body parts.
I think for affiliates, at the end of the day, theyre a non-profit, they just dont want to
they want to break even. And if they can do a little better than break even, and do so in a
way that seems reasonable, theyre happy to do that, said Dr. Nucatola, senior medical
services director for Planned Parenthood.2
Throughout the approximately two and a half hour unedited footage, Dr. Deborah Nucatola
repeatedly contradicts herself by stating clinics wish to do better than break even off of the
sale of fetal body parts while also stating Planned Parenthood does not wish to profit off of the
sale.3
Dr. Nucatola discusses with the potential buyers a price range of $30 - $100 per specimen:
You know, I would throw a number out, I would say its probably anywhere from $30 to
$100 [per specimen], depending on the facility and whats involved.4
1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjxwVuozMnU
Ibid.
3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4UjIM9B9KQ
2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjxwVuozMnU

In the video, Dr. Nucatola explains the process of harvesting fetal organs during an abortion:
Weve been very good at getting heart, lung, liver, because we know that, so Im not
gonna crush that part, Im gonna basically crush below, Im gonna crush above, and Im
gonna see if I can get it all intact.5
Other videos show Planned Parenthood staff picking through an aborted fetus identifying the
arms, legs, eyes, head, heart, spinal structure, kidneys, and sexual organs that could be used in
research. One staff member states after examining the dead fetus, And another boy! and
another called the body parts, five stars for body part harvesting.6 7
2. A Stem Express brochure used to advertise contracts with Planned Parenthood clinics to
harvest fetal body parts states four times that working with Stem Express is financially
profitable for the clinic. Planned Parenthood endorses this brochure.
The Center for Medical Progress released a brochure from Stem Express, a biotech corporation
that contracts with Planned Parenthood affiliates to harvest aborted fetal body parts. On this
advertisement is an endorsement from Dr. Dorothy Fergerson, of Planned Parenthood Mar
Monte. Four times in this four-page brochure, Stem Express states it: fiscally rewards clinics is
contributing to the fiscal growth of your clinic, is financially profitable, and is providing a
financial benefit to clinics.8
3. A second undercover video released by the Center for Medical Progress shows a Planned
Parenthood executive haggling over the potential price her clinic would be paid for harvesting
baby parts. I want a Lamborghini, she added.
On July 21, 2015, the Center for Medical Progress journalists released a second undercover
video of a meeting with Dr. Mary Gatter, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of
Americas Medical Directors Council and Medical Director for Planned Parenthood Pasadena
and San Gabriel Valley. In the video, Dr. Mary Gatter can be seen negotiating the price the buyer
will pay for the fetal body parts:
Well why dont you start by telling me what youre used to paying [for fetal body parts].
Well, you know in negotiations the person who throws out the figure first is at a loss,
right? I dont want to play games, I just dont want to lowball, because Im used to low
things Okay. $75 a specimen. ... Its been years since I talked about compensation, so
let me just figure out what others are getting, if this is in the ballpark, its fine, if its still
low then we can bump it up. I want a Lamborghini.9
4. According to the Illinois Comptrollers Office, Planned Parenthood received $42 million in
taxpayer money from the state of Illinois between 2011 and 2015.10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjxwVuozMnU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWQuZMvcFA8
7
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=593&v=Xw2xi9mhmuo
8
http://www.centerformedicalprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/StemExpress-flyer.pdf
9
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjCs_gvImyw
10
Source: Illinois Comptrollers Office www.IllinoisRightToLife.org/PlannedParenthood
6

Illinois Planned Parenthood received the following amounts from Illinois taxpayers:
2015 - $7,926,550.41
2012 - $8,317,134.25

2014 - $7,707,281.96
2011 - $10,464,461.03

2013 - $7,921,314.62

Planned Parenthood currently receives $1.45 million in federal taxpayer money per day.11
According to the Department of Public Health, no Planned Parenthood in Illinois is licensed by
the state. No Planned Parenthood has received a health and safety inspection since 1999.12
Dr. Deborah Nucatola told fetal organ buyers that Chicago was a fabulous place to obtain
fetal body parts.
"There [Chicago] you have probably the best opportunity outside of UCSF to get those
larger cases. But Cook County is fabulous, it's in the center of Chicago, two airports,
plenty of opportunities there. ...The largest family planning provider in the Mid-West.
Cook County hospital, Stroger Hospital.13"
5. A former employee of Stem Express hired to harvest fetal body parts says Planned
Parenthood received a profit from selling aborted fetal body parts.
On July 28, 2015, the third video released by the Center for Medical Progress included the
personal testimony from a whistleblower, Holly ODonnell, who use to work at Stem Express as
a Procurement Technician:
For whatever we could procure, they would get a certain percentage. The main nurse was
always trying to make sure we got our specimens. No one else really cared, but the main nurse
did because she knew that Planned Parenthood was getting compensated. 14
They [Stem Express] partner with Planned Parenthood and they get part of the money. Cause
we pay them to use their facilities and they get paid from it. They do get some kind of benefit.
Were asked to procure pretty much anything on the fetus.15
The receiving or giving of human organs for profit is a federal felony (42 U.S. Code 274e) and
violation of Illinois law (The Anatomical Gift Act 755 ILCS 50/5-50).
As this letter shows, there is reasonable concern that Planned Parenthood may be operating in
gross violation of federal and state law. We respectfully ask you to immediately investigate
Planned Parenthood, as Governors and Attorneys General in Massachusetts, Florida, Missouri,
Arizona, Indiana, Ohio, Louisiana, Texas, Kansas, Tennessee, and Georgia have, to stop any
commerce of baby body parts that may be occurring. We also respectfully call upon you to
11

Planned Parenthood annual report: http://issuu.com/actionfund/docs/annual_report_final_proof_12.16.14_/0 [page 23]

Illinois Department of Public Health: http://illinoisrighttolife.org/womens-health-comes-first-a-project-of-illinois-right-tolife/find-your-clinic/
13
http://www.centerformedicalprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/PPFAtranscript072514_final.pdf
14
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw2xi9mhmuo
15
Ibid.
12

investigate Stroger Hospital and Family Planning Associates all mentioned in the first
undercover video as fabulous places to harvest fetal body parts.
Regardless of the law, these videos show extremely troubling and disturbing behavior by
Planned Parenthood executives that is morally reprehensible. The body parts of aborted
children should not be harvested and sold.
The aborting of unborn fetuses and the selling of their body parts lungs, livers, extremities,
hearts, and heads - is morally reprehensible and does not deserve the hard-earned money of
Illinoisans. In your continuing budget negotiations, any taxpayer money set aside for Planned
Parenthood should be eliminated.
Thank you for your careful attention to this matter. All videos, transcripts, and other
information detailed and footnoted in this letter can be viewed at
www.IllinoisRightToLife.org/PlannedParenthood. Additional questions can be directed to Emily
Zender at 312-422-9300 or Emily@IllinoisRightToLife.org.
Sincerely,

Emily Zender
Executive Director

David Smith
David E. Smith
Executive Director
Illinois Family Institute
P.O. Box 88848
Carol Stream, IL 60188
708-781-9328

Father Andrew Bartek, Rector

St. Panteleimon Orthodox Church
7545 W. 61st Place
Summit, IL 60501

Dawn Fitzpatrick
Director, Respect Life Office
Archdiocese of Chicago
3525 S. Lake Park Avenue
Chicago, IL 60653
312-534-5355
dfitzpatrick@archchicago.org

Dr. Anthony Caruso

A Bella Baby, OBGYN
4333 Main Street
Downers Grove, IL 60515

Tiffany Staman
Executive Director
The Pregnancy Care Center of Rockford
4921 East State Street
Rockford, IL 61108
815-680-5101
Tiffany@thepregnancycarecenter.org

Mary A. Strom
Executive Director
The Womens Center
5116 N. Cicero Avenue
Chicago, IL 60630
773-794-1313
mstrom@womens-center.org

Susan Skoglund
Executive Director
Pregnancy Resources
829 15th Street
Moline, IL 61265
309-797-3636
susan@qcpregnancy.org

Lisa Van Dyke

Director of Client Services
Womans Choice Services
929 S. Main Street, Unit 103
Lombard, IL 60148
630-261-9564
Lisa@womanschoiceservices.com

Susan Barrett
Executive Director
Aid for Women
8 S. Michigan Avenue, Suite 812
Chicago, IL 60603
312-621-1101
sbarrett@aidforwomen.org

Tricia Blasdel
Executive Director
Relevant Pregnancy Resource Center
410 A Pine Street
Highland, IL 62249
618-654-3732
tricia@relevantoptions.org

Kelly Brennan Gorsky

Executive Director, Co-Founder
Waterleaf
3598 E. New York Street
Aurora, IL 60504
630-701-6270
kellyg@waterleafwc.org

Sherrie Bicksler
Executive Director
Freeport Pregnancy Center
222 West Exchange Street
Freeport, IL 61032
815-232-5433
Sherrie@Freeportpregnancerycenter.org

Sarah VanDerLip
Executive Director
Informed Choices
888 East Belvidere Road, #124
Grayslake, IL 60030
847-231-4651
sarahv@informedchoices.org

Dawn Behnke
President
Illinois Federation for Right to Life
1300 S. 8th Street
Springfield, IL 62703
217-544-9700
office@ifrl.org

Kevin Grillot
Executive Director
Students for Life of Illinois
P.O. Box 2001
Champaign, IL 61825
217-255-6675
Kevin@prolifeillinois.com

Bonnie Quirke
President
Lake County Right to Life
100 Atkinson Road, #112 C
Grayslake, IL 60030
847-223-7022
bonnieifrl@aol.com

Ralph Rivera
Executive Director
Illinois Citizens for Life
5021 Fairfield Avenue
Downers Grove, IL 60515
630-852-5448
ralphriveracr@sbcglobal.net

Lawrence Theriault, VP
Director of Operations
McGivney Center of Hope & Healing
P.O. Box 82
Glenview, IL 60025
847-729-3646
lmth1953@aol.com

Kathy Bozak
Executive Director
Southside Pregnancy Center
9115 S. Cicero Avenue
Oak Lawn, IL 60453
708-346-9070
kbozyk@southsidepregnanycenter.org

Kathy Lesnoff (Sparks)

President, CEO
Mosaic Pregnancy & Health Centers
2019 Johnson Road
Granite City, IL 62040
618-451-2002
help@revealmosaic.com

Debbie Geist
Executive Director
Life Network of Southern Illinois
722 N. Market Street
Waterloo, IL 62298
618-939-4224
Dgeist.htc.net

Manual Z. Hermano
Region Coordinator
Couples for Christ, FFL- Illinois

Kevin Rilott
Director
Rockford Pro-Life Initiative
4688 Quarry Ridge Trail
Rockford, IL 61101
815-494-0333
kjrilott@comcast.net

Dr. Michael M. Wall, MD

Medical Director of New Life Pregnancy Center
Decatur, IL
Family Medicine
241 W. Weaver Suite 145-C
Forsyth, IL 62535