Aug 23, 2009
Graves with no names
That's where some aborted foetuses end up; others are cremated or discarded
By Nur Dianah Suhaimi
Once the abortion is done, unclaimed foetuses will be classified according to whether they come from Muslim or non-Muslim mothers. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND LIM
ABOUT 30 abortions take place in Singapore's hospitals and clinics each day. Last year, there were 12,222 abortions compared to 11,933 in 2007.
Despite the procedure becoming increasingly common, not much is known about what happens to aborted foetuses here.
The Sunday Times investigated and found that while most private clinics dispose of aborted foetuses as part of medical waste, two restructured hospitals, the National University Hospital and KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH), take special care to cremate or bury those which are between 13 and 24 weeks old.
If the baby leaves the womb after 24 weeks, it is considered a stillborn baby and will have to be registered with the Registry of Births.
Before 13 weeks, foetuses are usually expelled in pieces and there will rarely be a complete human form, said Dr Jen Shek Wai, an obstetrician and gynaecologist at the Women's Clinic of Singapore.
'All we have is a mixture of blood, tissue and placental products,' he said. 'Technically, it is possible to preserve the blood, tissue and placental products in a mixture of formalin, but this has such a macabre aura about it that nobody has requested for it.'
These young foetuses are classified as medical waste and disposed of by special waste companies. At the hospitals, before the abortion takes place, the mother is given the option to claim her foetus or leave it to the hospital to make the necessary arrangements.
It is uncommon for parents to claim aborted foetuses. At KKH, only 10 per cent of aborted foetuses are claimed by their parents.
Once the abortion is done, unclaimed foetuses will be classified according to whether they come from Muslim or non-Muslim mothers. Foetuses from non-Muslim mothers will be sent to the mortuary, where they are collected by undertakers every few weeks and then cremated at the crematorium.
Foetuses from Muslim mothers are claimed by the Muslim Trust Fund Association, which carries out burials for Muslims without family.
Read the full story in The Sunday Times.
http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking+News/Singapore/Story/STIStory_420289.html
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