Second-trimester aborted babies could soon be denied a proper burial if New York City implements a pending regulation.

The NYC Department of Health appears still to be considering changing its regulations surrounding aborted babies. Babies aborted at “24 or more weeks of gestation” must be buried or cremated, according to current code.

In 2021, there were 767 babies aborted “at 21 weeks of gestation or later” in NYC, according to the Charlotte Lozier Institute.

The city’s health department closed the comment period on the proposed change in mid-August. However, the code has yet to be updated as of Oct. 2.

“This is about an individual’s medical decision and removing a burdensome and costly requirement from the health code,” a health department spokesman said over the summer, according to the New York Post. “How someone decides to proceed after making such a personal medical decision should not be dictated by the government.”

However, some individuals, even those who are pro-choice, criticized the regulation.

“I believe there is no need to change the current regulations. The remains of Human Beings must be treated with respect,” one Empire State resident wrote in a comment on the regulation. “The government should not allow human remains to be disposed of as garbage.”

“Why not leave the rules as they are for disposal of remains after abortion beyond 24 weeks?” a person identified as a “concerned citizen” wrote. “If families do not want to go through burying or cremating the remains, then the city can take on the job. I am pro-choice and do not buy into the hysteria around this issue.”

While the city and other supporters identified the “burdensome” cost, it seems there are clearly better options to provide some dignity to the baby who has just been killed in the womb.

First, the city could assume the cost of burial or cremation. There are already programs the city runs for the burial of indigent people.

Second, the city could work with local Christian groups to provide a dignified burial for the aborted babies. Leaders, including Catholic bishops, have previously offered to bury aborted babies.

Finally, it is perfectly fair for Planned Parenthood or other abortion vendors to be forced to pay for burying the children they kill. Abortion is not truly healthcare, even if activists say it is.

Real healthcare providers have to pay the cost for disposing of human tissue, blood, and other remains. But even more importantly, these babies are actual human beings, not just parts of another person.

If the abortion facilities are just like a surgeon’s or pediatrician’s office, they can at least begin compensating for the violence they have wrought on innocent babies. Babies killed through abortion at least deserve the dignity of a proper burial. New York City should reject this shameful regulation change.