Mass Grave to Hold 2.4K Fetal Remains Kept by Doctor

Indiana AG Curtis Hill to preside over Wednesday's burial in South Bend
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 12, 2020 9:20 AM CST
Mass Grave to Hold 2.4K Fetal Remains Kept by Doctor
In this Oct. 3, 2019, file photo, Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill speaks during a news conference in South Bend, Ind., about the fetal remains found at the home of Dr. Ulrich Klopfer.   (Robert Franklin/South Bend Tribune via AP, File)

More than 2,400 fetal remains found in the possession of a late abortion doctor now have a final resting place. All remains will be buried Wednesday in a single grave at Southlawn Cemetery in South Bend, Ind., in compliance with a state law requiring fetal remains be buried or cremated after an abortion, per Fox News. Dr. Ulrich Klopfer was based in South Bend, though most remains were found at his home in Crete, Ill., a mile from the Indiana state line, following his death in September at age 79. It's unclear if he was a hoarder or simply sought to avoid disposal costs. Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill will preside over the burial before providing an update on the probe into Klopfer. Often the only abortion doctor serving South Bend, Gary, and Fort Wayne, he performed tens of thousands of abortions over four decades before his license was suspended in 2016.

Among other issues, Klopfer was accused of performing an abortion on a 10-year-old rape victim without notifying law enforcement. He claimed conservative state officials collaborated to shutter his business with anti-abortion groups. Upon his death, relatives found 2,246 sets of remains piled in his garage. Remains from another 165 fetuses were found in the trunk of a car at a business where Klopfer stored vehicles. All came from abortions performed from 2000 to 2003, per WXIN. "I'm so grateful that, finally, the bodies of these little boys and girls will be treated with the dignity they deserved," says Right to Life's Cathie Humbarger. Hill's defense of state laws restricting abortion is at the center of a reelection campaign at risk over allegations that he groped four women at a bar in 2018, though "being in the spotlight during the burial could help shore up support among social conservatives," per ABC News. (More abortion stories.)

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