“The cemeteries of fetuses with the names of mothers are a sensational violation of all privacy laws”

A cemetery of white wooden crosses, each with its own label and a first and last name: that of the woman “responsible” for the abortion: voluntary interruption of pregnancy or therapeutic abortion. The shocking discovery of a Roman woman who found, in the Flaminio cemetery, “the grave” of her fetus buried without her knowledge, and with her name (we speak about it here), aroused clamor and indignation, also due to its implications. legal. Thus, the Wildside-Human First law firm of Cathy La Torre, a lawyer committed to civil rights and against abuses of this type, has decided today to establish an email address ([email protected]) to which all women they can write. receive information on current legislation and how to inform the Privacy Guarantor.

Lawyer, are we facing an invasion of privacy?
I’d say sensational. This is a very serious breach of sensitive data in accordance with Article 9 of the European Privacy Regulation 679/18. That expressly states: “It is prohibited to process personal data that reveal racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, or trade union affiliation, as well as to process genetic data, biometric data intended to uniquely identify a natural person, related data with the health or sexual life or sexual orientation of the person “. To give you an example, how in each grave, under the name of the deceased, the cause of death was written.
Are cemeteries for fetuses or “abortifacient products” a widespread practice?
If in Italy it has increased in the last four or five years, I think there are about 80 cases. In some cases the associations that treat him put names, others write the names of the mothers.
In what legal margin do these associations move?
This type of burial is governed by the Mortuary Police Regulations. In short: “products of conception” up to week 20 are buried at the request of relatives. In the absence of this, they are considered “abortifacient products” and the competent ASL treats them as special hospital waste. Instead, “the products of conception from week 20 to 28 or fetuses beyond week 28, are buried at the request of relatives or, in any case, at the disposal of the ASL.
Therefore, no woman who opts for voluntary termination of pregnancy before week 20 is asked to sign a form for the burial of the “abortifacient product.”
Exact. If a child is stillborn after the 28th week, it can be registered at the registry office, and only later can it be buried. Before the 28th week of gestation, no report should be made.
For this “alternative arrangement”, through burial in cemeteries, voluntary pro-life and anti-abortion associations are involved in abortifacient and products of conception..
Many hospitals work in conjunction with these associations that offer to dispose of “abortifacient products” at your expense. For hospitals, with increasingly fewer resources, it represents a saving of money and work.
But to get to establish true ad hoc cemetery areas, do we need special authorizations?
In fact, this practice occurs for two reasons: in some municipalities, the police mortuary regulations are complemented by the municipal regulations that authorize these burials. In Florence, for example, there is an ad hoc queue. But in other municipalities the “stillborn child registry” was even established.
A stillbirth registry?
S. in 2014 had started a collection of signatures to reform the matter. In particular, we would like to establish the weight of 500 grams at birth of the fetus as a limit to be able to request and obtain the registration of a fetus in the registry. With an invitation to all the mayors of Italy to promote the institution, within each municipality, of a specific registry.
But the burial without the knowledge of the women.
S. The Mortuary Police regulations exist and are clear. But then each municipality has its own regulation and allows us to practice some associations such as the burial of fetuses without the knowledge of the woman.