Right to Life Michigan
A new set of bills that has cleared the Michigan Senate would protect the remains of aborted babies if passed into law. The proposed legislation comes in response to the revelation in late October that abortion clinics in Delta Township and Saginaw had been illegally dumping fetal remains and medical records into a dumpster.
The new package of bills passed the Senate on November 10 with a vote of 30-8. Right to Life of Michigan (RLM) says that they have assurances from sponsors of the bill that the issue will be taken up in the House at the beginning of the next legislative session in January.
The bills aim to give greater dignity to the remains of unborn children killed in abortion. According to Right to Life Michigan, one bill (H.B. 5928) would change the Michigan health code "so that fetal remains will no longer be classified as 'products of conception,' along with the placenta, umbilical cord, and other uterine contents."
Two other bills (S.B. 1563 and H.B. 5929) would directly legislate the methods hospitals and abortion clinics use to dispose of fetal remains. RLM says that these two bills would "require hospitals and abortion facilities to bury or cremate any fetus or part of a fetus that has recognizable anatomical parts or has completed at least 8 weeks gestation."
Earlier this year 17 aborted babies were found in a dumpster used by the Women's Choice clinic in Delta Township. The remains were discovered by pro-lifer Chris Veneklase, who contacted the group Citizens for a Pro-Life Society (CPLS). Upon further investigation, Dr. Monica Miller of CPLS and Veneklase took the case to Eaton and Saginaw County Sheriffs.
After a 7-month investigation, the Sheriffs departments determined that the Women's Choice clinic in Delta Township and another in Saginaw were dumping fetal remains and patient records in dumpsters. However, the Sheriffs department was unable to file charges since abortion clinics are allowed to dispose of fetal remains in dumpsters under certain conditions. The Sheriffs also found that the clinics were improperly incorporated, and thus could not face prosecution for the dumping of patient records.
A funeral mass will be held for the 17 unborn babies at 11 am on November 20 in St. Mary's Cathedral. The mass will be celebrated by Bishop Earl Boyea of the Diocese of Lansing. A burial is scheduled to follow at St. Joseph's Cemetary in Lansing.
Contact: Matthew Anderson
Source: LifeSiteNews.com
Publish Date: November 17, 2010
