After two public hearings, 35,000 comments heard and sharp disagreements from anti-abortion and pro-choice groups the state of Texas has approved the recently proposed rules that will change the current disposal of embryonic and fetal remains. The rules will go into effect on December 19 and will require the cremation, sanitization, and interment of fetal tissues.
The Texas Department of State Health Services received hefty backlash after the first public hearing and was questioned about the ambiguity of the proposed rules by the Women’s and Perinatal Health of the Texas Medical Association. The rules were edited and republished on September 30, and a second public hearing was held on November 9.
“We made certain changes to the rules along the way, including adding language to make clear that these rules don't apply to miscarriages or abortions that occur at home, and adding language to clarify that birth or death certificate issuance is not required for proper disposition under the rules” said Carrie Williams, spokeswoman for the Department of State Health Services.
The new rules ban the disposal of fetal remains in medical sanitary landfills and require all remains to be cremated or sanitized and then buried no matter the gestation period. The Department of State Health Services states in the Texas …show more content…
They will have an impact on families, hospitals, abortion providers, funeral homes, crematoriums and possibly state officials. The average cost for the new disposal procedures fluctuates between $1,000 to $4,000 according to the Texas Medical Association. Abortion-rights groups see the price tag of the new rules as one of the main problems with these regulations. The state health officials say that the patient would not have to cover these costs but that inherently means that the health facilities or the funeral homes will have to be responsible for handling the
The Texas Department of State Health Services received hefty backlash after the first public hearing and was questioned about the ambiguity of the proposed rules by the Women’s and Perinatal Health of the Texas Medical Association. The rules were edited and republished on September 30, and a second public hearing was held on November 9.
“We made certain changes to the rules along the way, including adding language to make clear that these rules don't apply to miscarriages or abortions that occur at home, and adding language to clarify that birth or death certificate issuance is not required for proper disposition under the rules” said Carrie Williams, spokeswoman for the Department of State Health Services.
The new rules ban the disposal of fetal remains in medical sanitary landfills and require all remains to be cremated or sanitized and then buried no matter the gestation period. The Department of State Health Services states in the Texas …show more content…
They will have an impact on families, hospitals, abortion providers, funeral homes, crematoriums and possibly state officials. The average cost for the new disposal procedures fluctuates between $1,000 to $4,000 according to the Texas Medical Association. Abortion-rights groups see the price tag of the new rules as one of the main problems with these regulations. The state health officials say that the patient would not have to cover these costs but that inherently means that the health facilities or the funeral homes will have to be responsible for handling the