A George Soros-backed candidate for district attorney in Arizona partnered with abortion providers who may have skirted federal law to sell fetal organs for profit and joked about late-term abortions.
Julie Gunnigle, the Democratic candidate for Maricopa County attorney, held a campaign event in 2020 with Camelback Family Planning, an abortion clinic that harvested and sold "maternal blood" and fetal "liver and thymus" organs from 2010 to 2015. A 1993 federal law prohibits the sale of fetal organs for profit.
Gunnigle also fundraised several times since 2021 for Desert Star Family Planning, whose founder and president was caught on camera in 2014 discussing fetal organ harvesting and joking that she has to "hit the gym" so her "biceps" could carry out abortions of fetuses older than 20 weeks. Both clinics endorsed Gunnigle’s campaign.
Gunnigle’s ties to the controversial abortion clinics are the latest issue that could hurt her candidacy in Arizona. Her campaign platform also pledges to prosecute police under a special division and dismiss minor criminal offenses, the Washington Free Beacon reported. Gunnigle took $6,550 last quarter from Way to Lead PAC, to which Soros’s Democracy PAC has contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars.
A spokeswoman for Gunnigle’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Camelback Family Planning sold $1,200 worth of fetal organs to StemExpress between 2010 and 2015, according to a 2016 select investigative panel report by the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee. Dr. David Prentice of the Charlotte Lozier Institute told the Free Beacon that while federal law is "porous," Camelback and the other clinics under investigation likely violated the law.
Camelback is no stranger to controversy. In 2012, a clinic employee was caught coaching a mother into skirting Arizona law to abort a fetus on the basis of its sex. Gabrielle Goodrick, who founded the clinic in 1999, lost her medical license in 2016 for abusing fentanyl she stole from the office.
Gunnigle has repeatedly promised if elected not to prosecute abortions under the 15-week abortion ban Gov. Doug Ducey (R.) signed into law in March. Gunnigle has encouraged others to support abortion by donating to Desert Star Family Planning.
Desert Star founder DeShawn Taylor was recorded discussing the need to keep fetuses "intact" for organ harvesting. Taylor, the former medical director at Planned Parenthood Arizona, also insinuated Desert Star did not provide medical attention to aborted fetuses that showed signs of life, a violation of Arizona law.
"In Arizona, if the fetus comes out with any signs of life, we’re supposed to transport it," Taylor said, calling the law "a mess." Taylor noted she "pays attention to who’s in the room" to determine when she has to treat fetuses that survive abortions.
Desert Star Family Planning performed 666 abortions in 2020, according to the Arizona Health Department.