PA ImagesMore than 2,400 fetal remains have been laid to rest in a mass burial after they were discovered in a former abortion doctor’s garage.
Dr. Ulrich Klopfer passed away in September 2019, and while going through his belongings his family discovered medically-preserved remains at his house in Will County, abound 45 miles from Chicago.
Authorities initially uncovered 2,246 fetuses in the former doctor’s garage, but the following month even more were discovered in the boot of one of Klopfer’s vehicles. A total of 2,411 fetal remains were discovered on the doctor’s property.
PA ImagesThe remains are believed to have been from abortions Klopfer performed between 2000 and 2003. The doctor operated three abortion clinics in South Bend, Indiana, before his license was suspended in 2015.
The mass burial was held at a cemetery in South Bend yesterday, February 12, with Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill explaining the ceremony was ‘keeping [the babies] together in rest, each of them connected by their common fate’, CNN reports.
Hill added:
Today, we finally memorialize the 2,411 unborn babies whose remains were senselessly hoarded by Dr. Ulrich Klopfer after he performed the abortions from 2000 to 2003.
These babies deserved better than a cold, dark garage or the trunk of a car.
PA ImagesAccording to the Associated Press, the burial plot was donated by the Palmer Funeral Home, and all the remains have been laid to rest in the same grave.
The remains were discovered in small, sealed plastic bags filled with a chemical used to preserve biological material. The bags had been placed in storage boxes, which had been mixed in among other boxes.
It is unclear how investigators determined how long the fetuses had been stored for, though James Glasgow, Will County state’s attorney, said ‘the condition they [were] in’ indicated they were ‘older’.
There is no evidence any medical procedures were conducted at the Klopfer’s property, though investigators found ‘thousands’ of abandoned medical records in his abortion clinics. Glasgow explained the doctor had not followed Indiana law for disposal of the fetal remains and the filing of the proper paperwork.
PA ImagesThe Attorney General said the doctor had a ‘record of deplorable conditions and violations of regulatory controls that are placed on [abortion] clinics.’
He added:
He certainly was problematic in life and as it turns out continues to present problems in his death.
Klopfer’s license was suspended after he was accused of failing to complete and submit records to the state Department of Health when abortions were performed on two 13-year-old girls. He also allegedly failed to provide counselling information to patients undergoing abortion procedures, as was required by state law.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677.
Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.