Texas Just Won't Stop Trying To Force 'Fetal Burial' Rules On Women

Anti-choice legislators in Texas are continuing to try and jam through a regulation that would require so-called “fetal funerals” after abortions, even though a federal district court judge already blocked a similar measure in the state. Senate Bill 8 ― which passed the Texas House of Representatives over the weekend ― is a wide-ranging anti-abortion bill that would, among other things, require all health facilities that treat pregnant women to dispose of embryonic and fetal remains that are “passed” or “delivered” via burial or cremation ― regardless of patients’ wishes. That means that women who miscarry in a medical facility would also be subject to the rule.  Lawmakers backing the bill are seemingly unfazed that a federal district court already blocked a similar requirement after The Center for Reproductive Rights sued the state of Texas in December. The judge in that case was critical of the regulation, saying it could be a “pretext for restricting abortion access.” Indeed, opponents of fetal burial rules ― which have also been proposed in Louisiana and Indiana ― say they serve no medical purpose. Instead, they are an attempt to elicit an emotional response and shift thinking about the nature of fetal remains. “For many years ... abortion opponents were attempting to make the case that restrictions were necessary to protect women’s health, and this is a real shift from that. This i...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news