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A new documentary by British filmmakers about stillbirths and miscarriages has reportedly revealed that hospitals across the U.K. burned the bodies of thousands of aborted and miscarried fetuses to produce heat. According to the Channel 4 Dispatches documentary, the remains of more than 15,000 babies were incinerated as “clinical waste” or burned in power plants to produce heat.
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The Daily Telegraph reported that “10 NHS trusts have admitted burning fetal remains alongside other rubbish while two others used the bodies in ‘waste-to-energy’ plants which generate power for heat.”
Addenbrooke Hospital and Ipswich Hospital were both named as facilities where the burning took place.
The Department of Health has already issued a ban on the practice and health minister Dr. Dan Poulter referred to it as “totally unacceptable.”
Women who lost their babies were not aware of the practice and told the remains had been “cremated.”
“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,” Poulter said.
The documentary is set to air on Monday night.
[The Daily Telegraph] [Channel 4 Dispatches]
