On Thursday, the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) heard public testimony related to proposed rules to establish more humane procedures for handling the remains of preborn children who have fallen prey to the abortion industry. The proposed rule change came in response to the horrors revealed in a series of undercover videos released last summer that exposed the abortion giant Planned Parenthood. The videos contained footage of abortion facilities in Austin and Houston both engaging in abhorrent practices.
Pro-Life Champion Senator Don Huffines (R-Dallas) testified first. He explained that human remains should not be discarded in the trash. He clarified that respect for human Life and the dignity of individuals has led Texas to require the special treatment of human bodies in every other situation. Huffines said he supported the proposed rules and plans on filing legislation to codify the rules in the upcoming legislative session.
Another Pro-Life speaker pointed out that fifteen other states already require burial or cremation for the remains of preborn children. One of those states is California. The speaker brought up the question whether asking Texas to treat the remains of preborn children with the same level of respect they receive in California was too much?
John Seago, Texas Right to Life’s Legislative Director, testified in favor of the rules and applauded DSHS’s effort to treat the victims of abortion humanely. Seago also suggested modest changes that would address an ambiguity in the rules and the concerns of advocates on both sides. The new rules need to explicitly state that they do not apply to miscarriages or chemical abortions that happen in part at home.
Abortion proponents used the hearing on the minor rule change as a PR opportunity to espouse their radical views. The rhetoric and arguments coming from opponents of the rules were quite shocking and included comparing preborn children to amputated limbs and ovarian cysts, calling preborn children “products of our bodies” and “waste.” As usual, abortion advocates claimed that “access to abortion is a fundamental liberty,” failing the mention that The Declaration of Independence actually lists “Life” first.
One of the most revealing quotes from opponents of the proposed rules revealed the ethical core of the debate over how we treat the bodies of preborn children after abortion. One abortion advocate argued, “I don’t think you can be inhumane to something that isn’t human.” This is revealing and shows how abortion advocates put deadly ideology over reason and science. Several witnesses against the rules claimed these regulations were “anti-science” and “only based in religion,” however when they claim that a preborn child is not even human, that is willfully ignoring uncontested scientific fact. Not only is a preborn child human, but science has proven that preborn children have unique DNA from their mother and scientifically is an individual human being.
Because abortion is the untimely and tragic death of a unique, individual human being, our society should respond by awarding the victim the respect and dignity they deserve. These rules proposed by DSHS are one small step towards that goal.
Texas Right to Life applauds the Department of State Health Services for their work to improve the disposal procedures for preborn victims of abortion. The proposed changes will not only improve upon the existing fetal disposition rules, but will also afford the same dignity to deceased preborn children as any other human being by requiring their bodies, in whole or in part, be either buried or cremated.
