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WASHINGTON - Anti-abortion activist Lauren Handy, who was arrested on federal charges last week for her involvement in a protest at an abortion clinic, told reporters Tuesday she and a fellow activist retrieved 115 aborted fetuses from the Washington Surgi-Center.
"Lauren Handy and I went to Washington Surgi-Center to engage in anti-abortion advocacy. Upon arrival, we saw a truck labeled Curtis Bay Medical Waste Services parked outside," said Terrisa Bukovinac, a member of the Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising group. "We approached the driver who was about to load two large boxes with biohazard symbols onto his truck. We asked him if he knew what was inside the boxes, and after he said no, we told him, dead babies. The driver was visibly shaken."
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The activists said they told the driver they wanted to take what they assumed was human remains and give them a proper funeral.
Later in the press conference, activists said they actually were not sure what was inside the boxes before they approached the driver. They told reporters that they buried 110 aborted fetuses with the help of a Catholic priest.
The Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising members said they kept the remaining five fetuses at Handy's apartment and then coordinated with attorneys to alert the D.C. Homicide Unit about the location of the fetuses.
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MPD would not confirm whether the tip they received came from Handy or one of the members of her group. Officials said the investigation is ongoing.
FOX 5 reached out to Curtis Bay Management Company who has not yet responded to our request for a comment on the matter.
READ MORE: Police investigate shocking discovery of 5 fetuses inside DC home
When FOX 5 reached out to the D.C. abortion clinic the Washington Surgi-Center, we received the following statement from the National Abortion Federation saying:
"Abortion providers comply with state and federal laws that regulate medical tissue for all health care providers to ensure that it is handled safely, appropriately, and respectfully.
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"Further, false claims about abortion and people who need this care have contributed to hundreds of medically unnecessary and politically motivated state restrictions that push safe and affordable abortion care out of reach."
Handy was arrested last week as part of a federal indictment that claims she and eight others tried to block patients from entering an abortion clinic in D.C. on October 22, 2020.
The indictment also claims the group tried to threaten and intimidate both patients and employees of the clinic. Handy appeared for a brief hearing before Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui on Monday and pleaded not guilty.