A package of bills to outlaw the dumping of fetal remains passed in the Michigan Senate on November 10 by votes of 30-8. Due to the limited number of session days remaining, the bills are not expected move through the process in the House. However, Right to Life of Michigan has assurances from bill sponsors that the bills be reintroduced promptly in the new session in January.
The bill package is designed to enhance existing Michigan law to properly dispose of the bodies of miscarried and aborted babies. H.B. 5928 would change our current state 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 resulting from a pregnancy. S.B. 1563/H.B. 5929 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. Regarding miscarried babies, the parents will have the right to determine the final disposition of the fetal remains. S.B. 1561-1562 and H.B. 6428-6429 establish penalties of up to three years imprisonment and/or a maximum fine of $5,000.
This legislation was introduced after the remains of 17 aborted children were discovered in an abortion clinic dumpster.
To learn more about this legislation, visit the Right to Life of Michigan's legislative web page.
