On Tuesday’s edition of The Five on the Fox News Channel (FNC), liberal panelist Geraldo Rivera defended Planned Parenthood in wake of the video scandal concerning body parts from aborted babies, fretting that it “might put an end to the harvesting of what would be garbage” that “may” help contribute to a “cure for cancer” or “heart disease.”
Moments after co-host Greg Gutfeld opened the segment with a commentary on the disturbing scandal, Rivera wondered to co-host Eric Bolling if he “fear[ed]...that the scandal, the justifiable scandal over the callousness of the people portrayed in this video might put an end to the harvesting of what would be garbage, they would throw it away and there may be the cure for cancer in there.”
While trying to add that “[m]aybe there is the cure for heart disease in that fetal resource,” his fellow co-hosts groaned and swiftly rebuked him for his comments.
Bolling argued that “there is no question that” Planned Parenthood was “trying to profit” from the sale of aborted body parts and stated that “if you watch these videos, there’s a profit motive” at work.
Rivera attempted to respond by emphasizing that “you can't destroy the hopes of humanity for the cure of these horrible diseases because of the revulsion” shown in the video, but his co-hosts were not convinced with co-host Kimberly Guilfoyle shooting back: “That doesn't justify the criminal conduct in these on the part of Planned Parenthood.”
Visibly frustrated, Gutfeld sarcastically asked Rivera (who gave no response): “What if we found that it was a nutrit – that a fetus nutritionally was fantastic? Do we now have it for breakfast?”
Towards the end of the segment, Rivera dragged Republicans and the 2016 election into the debate: “If the Republican insists on making this the issue, this along with immigration, Republicans will lose.”
Gutfeld immediately pushed back by arguing that they could “win” instead as the horrifying conduct of Planned Parenthood officials in the videos “makes the Gosnell ordeal look like Candyland.”
After Guilfoyle offered her final comments being that “[t]here’s a special place in hell for people that don't think” the three videos are “disgusting,” Rivera declared that “[t]hinking it's disgusting is different than thinking it's illegal.”
The relevant portions of the transcript from FNC’s The Five on July 28 can be found below.
FNC’s The Five
July 28, 2015
5:34 p.m. Eastern
GERALDO RIVERA: Don't you fear, Eric, that the scandal, the justifiable scandal over the callousness of the people portrayed in this video might put an end to the harvesting of what would be garbage, they would throw it away and there may be the cure for cancer in there. Maybe there is the cure for heart disease in that fetal resource.
ERIC BOLLING: Geraldo, there is no question that they were trying to profit. I will tell you unequivocally, if you watch these videos, there’s a profit motive and there’s the difference.
RIVERA: But my point is that you can't destroy the hopes of humanity for the cure of these horrible diseases because of the revulsion that –
KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE: That doesn't justify the criminal conduct in these on the part of Planned Parenthood
GREG GUTFELD: You can use that argument for anything. What if we found that it was a nutrit – that a fetus nutritionally was fantastic? Do we now have it for breakfast?
(....)
GUILFOYLE: And isn't there – when you think about it, that's a built-in incentive for Planned Parenthood, right? The more abortions, the more fetuses that they have that are discarded, they can turn over quote unquote for biomedical research. Why isn't there a serious call to arms to be able to investigate criminal conduct you are not allowed to sell fetal body parts. That's where the investigation should be and as Eric said, these videos are horrendous. Horrendous.
RIVERA: But you were a prosecutor in California. You know it is a two-party consent state and these videos were illegally taken.
GUILFOYLE: And I'm telling you they don't have the legal expectation of privacy. Bring the case to the courts and see how it turns out. You’re like chin chin with the wine and talking about body parts? Petri dishes with little baby's eyes and feet and hands?
RIVERA: If the Republican insists on making this the issue, this along with immigration, Republicans will lose.
GUTFELD: Or win. This makes the Gosnell ordeal look like candy land.
GUILFOYLE: And I sat through all that testimony and the evidence and the pictures. So, like, wake up and have a conscience. There's a special place in hell for people that don't think this is disgusting.
GUTFELD: On that note, we've got to move ahead.
RIVERA: Thinking it's disgusting is different than thinking it's illegal.
