Texas continues to merge personal religious beliefs with public policy. They effectively want fetal tissue treated like a human being irrespective of the state of gestation. It goes into effect in a few days.
Who picks up the cost of burying or cremating fetal tissue?
Health Officials in Texas recently proposed new requirements for handling fetal tissue. These rules require that the tissue remains or either buried or cremated. The new proposals were made with little notice and published in the Texas Register on July 1st. That action triggered a 30-day public comment in September.
In a new effort to regulate abortion providers, Texas health officials are proposing rules that would require abortion providers to cremate or bury fetal remains.
The new rules, proposed by the Health and Human Services Commission, would no longer allow abortion providers to dispose of fetal remains in sanitary landfills, instead allowing only cremation or interment of all remains — regardless of the period of gestation. Abortion providers currently use third-party special waste disposal services.
“The Health and Human Services Commission developed new rules to ensure Texas law maintains the highest standards of human dignity,” said health commission spokesman Bryan Black.
This new requirement is a change in rules. It is not in any state statute. As such, it likely requires no approval from lawmakers. It is just a desire of Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
“Governor Abbott believes human and fetal remains should not be treated like medical waste, and the proposed rule changes affirms the value and dignity of all life,” Matthews said in a statement.
Effective December 19th, the new rules will be in place.
Texas’ proposed rules requiring the cremation or burial of fetal remains will take effect Dec. 19, according to state health officials.
Despite intense outcry from the medical community and reproductive rights advocates, the state will prohibit hospitals, abortion clinics and other health care facilities from disposing of fetal remains in sanitary landfills, instead allowing only cremation or burial of all remains — regardless of the period of gestation.
And what was the compelling reason for this costly rule?
Proposed at the direction of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, the health commission had argued the rules would result in “enhanced protection of the health and safety of the public.” Abbott said in a fundraising email that the rules were proposed because he doesn’t believe fetal remains should be “treated like medical waste and disposed of in landfills.”
The only change made to the original rule is that miscarriages or abortions that occur in the home need not abide by the new regulation. This rule is bound to be costly. Health care facilities and not the patient are responsible for the cost. But as everyone knows, the customer, the patient in some form or the other always pay the price.
A Facebook post by a woman residing in Texas who disapproves of the government involvement in the personal live women said it best.
Attention women Republican voters! This is what you have given us. Ever had a miscarriage or what is termed a “missed ab”like so many of us? We were devastated and after waiting several weeks had to have a medical procedure that with this new law would have required a burial of that 7 week bit of lifeless tissue. This makes me unspeakably angry, from The Party that rants about government interference in our lives. The hypocrisy is stunning!
No one could express it any better.