What is a Fetal Funeral?

A baby who survived an abortion only to be disposed of in a biohazard bag filled with bleach and left in a closet is now getting a funeral.

The Miami Herald is calling it a “fetal funeral.” That wording just jumped out at me. They can’t even call her a baby. She was born. She kicked. She screamed. She was discarded. It’s amazing how much can be done with a word. A baby must be loved and cared for. A fetus can be thrown in a closet.

And now, even this baby’s funeral is being co-opted into a political event.

The Rev. O’Neal Dozier, pastor of the Worldwide Christian Center in Pompano Beach, will officiate, and American Independent Party presidential candidate Alan Keyes will deliver a eulogy. Dozier has invited the Rev. Jim McGarvey, director of development for Hope Women’s Centers.

“I don’t approach this issue from the standpoint of politics,” said McGarvey, “but it certainly has political implications because of Roe v. Wade . . . If [the funeral gets political, then so be it.”

My mind has a political bent and I tend to look at things at the macro level but I fear that this baby was never treated right- from the moment she was ripped from her mother’s womb to her much belated funeral.