In Italy, a woman revealed how she was horrified to find out that her aborted fetus was buried in a cemetery marked with her name, without her consent.
Marta Loi, from Rome, read about fields of angels — a certain portion in the cemetery where the aborted fetuses are buried— and wanted to investigate what happened after he decided to terminate her pregnancy.
Marta called the hospital and was told the fetus was been buried in Italy’s largest cemetery, Flaminio. The grave was marked with a cross, bearing her name despite being an atheist. She also made it clear that she does not want to have a ‘physical place of remembrance’.
“After my second-trimester termination of pregnancy, I found a grave with my fetus buried beneath a cross, a religious symbol, that I don’t identify with because I’m atheist, bearing my first and last name,” Marta told BBC.
“I had made a clear choice, I did not want to have a physical place of remembrance. But despite my decision, that physical spot exists.”
The Italian law states that after 20 weeks, a fetus has to be buried in mass graves, but a religious burial has to be requested by the woman. Abortions are also allowed only after 12 weeks and if the pregnancy is life-threatening to the pregnant mother.
While abortion is legal in the country, the law states that health professionals may refuse to terminate pregnancies if they are ‘conscientious objectors,’ and according to Science Direct, 72% of gynaecologists in Italy are registered as injectors due to their moral and religious beliefs.
Regarding Marta’s name, it was supposedly given at the hospitals for administration purposes only, but then her name was shockingly embarked on the graves without her consent.
Marta said that the mass graves are a ‘blatant abuse and violation’ of the rights of the women who ‘did not know that this was happening’.
She also added that she hopes the country will be able to provide abortions for women in both a safe and ‘dignified way’, and give them support throughout the process.
“My hope is that the state and its institutions guarantee the right of women to choose and to access abortion in a dignified way and that the woman is supported from beginning to end,” she said.