Indiana Right to Life urges the Indiana House Public Policy Committee to pass the SB 329, a bill regarding the disposal of aborted fetal remains. The bill requires the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) to adopt clear rules for how abortion facilities shall dispose of fetal remains. The House Public Policy Committee is expected to vote on SB 329 Thursday.
Today, the House Public Policy Committee heard testimony on the aborted fetal remains bill. Bill author, Sen. Liz Brown, presented the bill to the committee. The following is testimony, prepared for delivery, from Marianne Anderson, a former Indianapolis Planned Parenthood nurse, and Cathie Humbarger, Executive Director of Allen County Right to Life.
Marianne Anderson:
“My name is Marianne Anderson and I am a nurse.
“I was an employee of the Planned Parenthood abortion facility located at 8590 Georgetown Road here in Indianapolis from 2010 – 2012. For part of that time I worked in the products of conception room. I often heard one doctor talk to the aborted baby while looking for all the parts. It is a customary procedure to make certain there are no baby body parts left inside the mother. He would say ‘Come on, little arm, I know you’re here! Now you stop hiding from me!’ It just made me sick to my stomach.
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“I saw other doctors come into the POC [products of conception] room with the dirty instruments in one hand and a jar in the other. In that jar were the pieces of the baby’s body. He would take the contents of that jar, pour it into a big strainer, sift through it to make sure all the parts were there, and then pour it down the drain into the sewer system without treating it in any way.
“The typical woman that I encountered at Planned Parenthood asked to hold her baby, which they did not allow. However, I know from experience that the women were concerned about the condition of their babies after the abortion procedure.”
Cathie Humbarger:
“I am Cathie Humbarger, Executive Director of Allen County Right to Life.
“In my role as Executive Director of Allen County Right to Life, over the years I have had the opportunity to speak with many women who have had abortions at Ulrich Klopfer’s Fort Wayne Women’s Health Organization. This is a direct quote from one of those women who received abortion information at the Ft. Wayne Women’s Health Organization: ‘I asked them what they do with the baby and they said it would be incinerated just like a gall bladder. I would personally prefer the option to have a funeral service for my baby.’
“I have also spoken with former employees who worked for the abortionist in Fort Wayne including Misty Coburn, a licensed practical nurse. Misty told me: ‘I worked for Dr. Ulrich Klopfer at the Fort Wayne Women’s Health Organization in Fort Wayne. I used a simple kitchen strainer, over a sink, and sifted through the contents of the collection jar after an abortion. I had to make certain all the body parts of the baby were accounted for. The garbage disposal was available and used for the placenta and any other tissue that had fallen into the sink. At that time, I was instructed to place the babies into a simple plastic container that was sent to a lab for disposal. The clinic reportedly hired a company which would send a truck to pick up the babies. Maybe this is a way the state could tell the abortionist how to dispose of the bodies.’
“In January of 2012 an employee at the Fort Wayne water treatment facility found a baby that was estimated to be 14-15 weeks gestational age caught in the rotating screens which separate solids from liquid. While there is no way to determine how the baby in this instance got into the sewer system, it was very disturbing. According to a news report, ‘The fetus may have been flushed down the toilet.’ I advocate for the respectful treatment of the bodies of all deceased unborn babies. Therefore, I support SB 329, which prohibits the routine disposal of the bodies of aborted babies in the sewer systems in Indiana and I ask for your vote.”
SB 329 passed the Senate on Feb. 24 with bipartisan support by a vote of 43-7. SB 329 is authored by Sens. Liz Brown, Amanda Banks and Travis Holdman; co-authored by Sen. R Michael Young and sponsored by Reps. Chris Judy, Ron Bacon, Bob Morris, Martin Carbaugh and Dennis Zent.
