Archdiocese of Mexico calls for dignified burial of aborted and unclaimed babies

The Primatial Archdiocese of Mexico, the archdiocese of Mexico City, has called on authorities to establish legal mechanisms guaranteeing a proper burial for babies who have been aborted or miscarried, or whose bodies are never claimed. The request came in an editorial titled "Que ningún bebé quede sin sepultura" ("Let no baby be left without burial"), published on August 16 in the archdiocesan magazine Desde la Fe.

Whatever the circumstances of a baby's death, the editorial said, "the dignity with which we treat the body" must always be respected. The archdiocese said the bodies of newborns and of babies who die in the later stages of pregnancy are often "abandoned in public places, in hospitals or even among the garbage."

"The human body, after death, must be treated with respect, because of its inherent dignity," the editorial said. Every person "deserves respect and dignity," it added, no matter how "brief their time in this world" may have been or the "difficult circumstances of their death."

Organizations doing this work

The archdiocese said associations and apostolates in Mexico have agreements with local authorities to "receive the bodies of babies who were miscarried, aborted or who were not claimed, to give them a dignified burial." Those groups "are not seeking to replace families or to obstruct judicial or health investigations. Their valuable work is to care for those little ones that no one else is caring for," the editorial said.

Places of remembrance and consolation

The archdiocese also said there is a need for "places specifically set aside for these little ones," where the remains of babies "whose families could not bury them or whose bodies were never claimed" can rest. Such sites, it said, could become places of remembrance, prayer and consolation for the many parents and families who have suffered a loss they often carry in silence.