Despite high-profile setbacks in New York, Virginia and elsewhere, many states are recognizing the dignity of the unborn, according to a new study by the Family Research Council.
“Fortunately, many states have stepped forward to enact laws which recognize the inherent dignity of the unborn by reaffirming their basic humanity,” said Quena González, director of state and local affairs for the organization. “All five types of laws tracked by our map are important to recognizing and protecting the dignity of unborn children.”
These laws include:
- Prohibiting the transfer of fetal tissue harvested from an unborn child during an abortion.
- Requiring the remains of aborted babies to be buried or cremated.
- Banning public funding for research with fetal tissue from aborted babies.
- Prohibiting the sale of or profit from aborted baby body parts.
- Providing death certificates for stillborn and miscarried babies
Forty-six states have some type of fetal dignity law on the books; however, the strength of these laws varies greatly. Twenty-six states have a law to provide death certificates for stillborn and miscarried babies, and 12 states have strong laws that protect fetal tissue from being used after an abortion. Florida is the only state with all five laws
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Only 13 states require that aborted fetal remains be buried or cremated: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas. The lack of a fetal remains law in Illinois is what allowed Dr. Ulrich Klopfer to harbor the remains of thousands of unborn children. At the federal level, the Dignity for Aborted Children Act (H.R. 4934 and S. 2590) would ensure that the remains of unborn children in all states are treated with dignity and respect.
States with ‘Born Alive Protections”
“Abortion is dehumanizing to both mothers and their unborn children,” said Katherine Beck Johnson, research fellow for legal and policy studies for the council. “State fetal dignity laws use a variety of means to promote and protect the dignity of the unborn. The need for such laws is clear: Whether it’s abortionists like Dr. Kermit Gosnell in Pennsylvania and Dr. Ulrich Klopfer in Illinois (who were caught hoarding the remains of the babies they had aborted), or America’s foremost purveyor of abortion, Planned Parenthood (which was caught on tape in 2015 selling aborted baby body parts), the abortion industry’s horrific practices dehumanize and desensitize all of us.”
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice