BOULDER, Colorado, JAN. 23, 2005 (Zenit.org).- A Catholic church marked the 32nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade by burying the ashes of up to 1,000 aborted fetuses, sparking controversy regarding the acquisition of the cremated remains.
Members of the Sacred Heart of Mary Church have collected the ashes buried today from the Crist Morturary, which has an agreement with the Boulder Abortion Clinic to collect and cremate the remains of aborted babies.
The mortuary had been giving the ashes to the church since 2001, an action that violates its contract with the clinic, reported the Associated Press.
Clinic director Dr. Warren Hern stated in the contract that ashes unclaimed by patients are not to be used in a religious ceremony without the clinic’s permission.
Today’s ceremony involved the remains of between 600 and 1,000 aborted fetuses.
Sergio Gutierrez, spokesman for the Denver Archdiocese, said the archdiocese supports the parish’s actions. He added that it’s hard to understand why abortion supporters are so upset.
“It’s puzzling, the confused messages being sent out,” Gutierrez told the Denver Post. “If they’re not unborn children, why are they concerned about this at all? And if they are unborn children, wouldn’t this be an appropriate way to behave? They can’t have it both ways.”
