INDIANAPOLIS — The story of 2,246 aborted fetal remains found at
the Illinois home of late abortion doctor Ulrich Klopfer continues to unfold,
with the new focal point being on neighboring Indiana, where Klopfer had once
operated three abortion clinics.
From medical records found in close proximity to the remains,
"we've been able to ascertain that (they) are pertaining to a period of
time from 2000 to 2002," said Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill at a
news conference at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis Sept. 20.
Those records also identified that "all 2,246 fetal remains
do come from the state of Indiana," he added.
Klopfer, whom Hill referred to as "one of the most notorious
abortionists in the history of Indiana," formerly ran abortion centers in
the northern Indiana cities of Fort Wayne, South Bend and Gary.
The buildings were abandoned after his medical license was
suspended indefinitely in 2016 "as a result of a whole host of violations,
including record-keeping," Hill said.
The three buildings were searched by police Sept. 19. No
additional fetal remains were discovered.
But what was found were "thousands of abandoned medical
records," he said.
When a physician retires, "ordinarily there's some process
in place where those records are transferred to another physician or the
Indiana Department of Health," Hill explained. The abandoned records have
now been secured by the attorney general's office to ensure their accessibility
and to protect patient privacy.
The records will be used as part of the investigation to
determine "if there is any information that would suggest that any other
licensed professionals have a hand in the transference of these fetal remains
across the state lines," said the attorney general.
"Also as a part of this investigation, we're looking to see
if those records shed light on anyone else who might be culpable for particular
licensing problems, as well as criminal violations ... that could lead to
someone being investigated for child molestation, rape or incest."
When asked if this incident will change the licensing procedure
of abortion centers in Indiana, Hill responded, "It certainly will be a
consideration."
"The purpose of having licensing procedures is, one, to
identify if a particular clinic (is) appropriate for doing this kind of work,
and also having follow-up to make sure that things that are supposed to be done
have been done," he said.
"It's somewhat troubling that we look back in history and
find ... 2,246 fetuses that were supposed to have been properly disposed (of)
and they're not," he admitted. "So the procedural breakdown in terms
of a regulatory process, that needs to be addressed at some point."
Hill also noted the situation is "indicative of the
correctness of states like Indiana having a law that provides for what should
happen to a fetus that's been aborted," a reference to 2018 state
legislation that was upheld by the Supreme Court.
He summarized the investigation moving forward as "trying to
determine how this happened, who was involved and what, if anything, we can do
about it, and what we can do going forward to prevent this from happening in
the future."
As for the 2,246 aborted fetuses, which Klopfer preserved with a
biological-preserving chemical, Hill said they "are now safe" at the
coroner's office in Will County, Illinois, the county where Klopfer lived.
At a news conference in Joliet, Ill., Sept. 19, Will County
officials indicated that arrangements would be made to transfer the remains to
the custody of the Indiana attorney general for his office's investigation.
"It's very important to bring these babies back home,"
Hill said. "We want to make sure we have a safe and appropriate
environment here in Indiana. We will take the time necessary to ensure that. It
could be a matter of days, it could be longer. But the bottom line is we have
secured the safety of those remains, and that is our top priority."
Ultimately, the fetuses will be "treated in accordance with
current Indiana law (requiring) burial and cremation and dignity and
respect," he added.
"We're thankful the attorney general is treating these
babies as babies, with the dignity and respect they deserved all along,"
said Marc Tuttle, president of Right to Life of Indianapolis.
"And we're thankful he's taking this seriously, to get to
the bottom of any laws or regulations that were violated," he said.
"We hope this is a wake-up call for authorities to continue to monitor and
regulate the abortion industry, because these types of things happen too
often."
Hoefer is a reporter at The Criterion, newspaper of the
Archdiocese of Indianapolis.