Wow. Just wow. I just don't even know what to say to this.

[Adam]

Aborted babies incinerated to heat UK hospitals

The bodies of thousands of aborted and miscarried babies were incinerated as clinical waste, with some even used to heat hospitals, an investigation has found.

Ten NHS 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.

Last night the Department of Health issued an instant ban on the practice which health minister Dr Dan Poulter branded ‘totally unacceptable.’

At least 15,500 foetal remains were incinerated by 27 NHS trusts over the last two years alone, Channel 4’s Dispatches discovered.

The programme, which will air tonight, found that parents who lose children in early pregnancy were often treated without compassion and were not consulted about what they wanted to happen to the remains.

[Novaheart]

I didn't read the article. It wouldn't appear to make sense to burn human tissue for energy, given as I am to believe that crematoriums actually consume tremendous amounts of energy to reduce the human tissue to ash. One would assume that the burning of medical waste, regardless of our emotional attachment to it, would be the most sanitary means of disposal. Would it not?

[Gramps]

I didn't read the article. It wouldn't appear to make sense to burn human tissue for energy, given as I am to believe that crematoriums actually consume tremendous amounts of energy to reduce the human tissue to ash. One would assume that the burning of medical waste, regardless of our emotional attachment to it, would be the most sanitary means of disposal. Would it not?

Fat content would determine the net gain.

[Adam]

I didn't read the article. It wouldn't appear to make sense to burn human tissue for energy, given as I am to believe that crematoriums actually consume tremendous amounts of energy to reduce the human tissue to ash.

It's bones and particularly teeth that require those tremendous amounts of energy.

One would assume that the burning of medical waste, regardless of our emotional attachment to it, would be the most sanitary means of disposal. Would it not?

Whether it's the most sanitary is probably subject to debate. Burial may be technically more sanitary.

[Gingersnap]

The problem is that a lot of people don't consider aborted or miscarried children to be 'medical waste'. A separate group cremation (much as vets arrange for pets) is probably a morally better choice even if it costs a little money.

Our country has solidly decided that women can kill unborn children at any point as long as they do it medically and not with street drugs or booze (I don't get that distinction myself but whatever). At the same time, we are not okay with treating the dead bodies of children like garbage.

Rather than make human life even more worthless in the name of efficiency, I'd rather see a little extra effort and cost going into acknowledging that a human life existed, however briefly. Efficiency is always the excuse for tyranny.