14 DAY TRIAL // A shocking report released on Monday by a British television program reveals that thousands of aborted and miscarried babies were incinerated along with medical waste in UK hospitals.
According to a recent investigation, the remains of more than 15,000 babies were burned to produce heat in hospital facilities.
“Ten [National Health Service] trusts have admitted burning foetal remains alongside other rubbish while two others used the bodies in ‘waste-to-energy’ plants which generate power for heat,” the Telegraph said on Monday.
Following the report, the Department of Health issued an immediate ban on the practice, while health minister Dr. Dan Poulter deemed it as “totally unacceptable.”
The findings of the investigation were presented in a documentary that mentioned that the parents of those lost or aborted children were not consulted about what was going to happen to their babies' remains.
The documentary reveals that at least 15,500 fetal remains under 24 weeks old were incinerated by 27 NHS trusts during the last two years.
In Addenbrooke’s hospital in Cambridge, for instance, 797 babies below 13 weeks gestation were incinerated at the “waste to energy” plant, while the mothers were told the remains had been “cremated.”
The same hospital also went under fire in 2006 for admitting to burning deceased babies in a trash incinerator.
Another example is Ipswitch Hospital, which incinerated 1,101 remains brought in from another health institution between 2011 and 2013.
“While the vast majority of hospitals are acting in the appropriate way, that must be the case for all hospitals and the Human Tissue Authority has now been asked to ensure that it acts on this issue without delay,” Dr. Poulter said, cited by the same publication.
Statistics show that one in seven pregnancies ends in a miscarriage. Moreover, NHS figures show there are around 4,000 stillbirths each year in the UK, which translates into 11 stillbirths each day.
Mothers who had suffered a miscarriage were probably devastated to find out that their babies were incinerated as clinical waste.
“It’s disgraceful to think babies were thrown into the burner alongside waste such as bandages and syringes. I hope mothers and fathers will be comforted by the knowledge this won’t go on any more,” Amanda Holden, the presenter of the show told the Mirror.
Currently, the Human Tissue Authority in UK permits the practice for remains under 24 weeks gestation. However, in the wake of these revelations, the government is expected to set up clear guidance on this issue.