AUSTIN, TX – As the debate over the legal standing on abortion continues, Texas awaits the ruling of a federal judge that would determine how fetal tissue remains would be disposed of after an abortion or miscarriage occurs.
Texas' newest law called for a burial or cremation of the fetal remains. The law was supposed to go into effect last month, but was placed on hold by Austin’s District Attorney after activists sued the state for creating anti-abortion practices meant to ‘shame women’ after getting an abortion or undergoing a miscarriage. Currently, fetal tissue remains have been disposed of with other biological medical waste.
Activists argued that forcing women to pay for burial or cremation would be an added extra cost and create an additional burden. Sites where abortions are performed include the cost of disposal in the medical fees of the patient.
Supporters of the law argue that the laws ensure public health, as biological medical waste often ends in unsanitary landfills. According to various news sources, activists claim the new law is also meant to restrict patient access to abortions and is not a matter of public health.
The state is said to have countered allegations of increased costs by stating that arguments on added costs assume that each individual fetus would require burial or cremation. The law is said to permit healthcare providers the opportunity to store fetuses for mass burial or cremation.
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