UK hospitals heated by incinerated babies
Callous actions shock nation
Published: 30 March 2014 (GMT+10)

While the title of this article may read like something from a horror novel it is unfortunately very much true. The Telegraph1 has reported that in the United Kingdom bodies of more than 15,500 aborted2 and miscarried babies have been burned in National Health Service (NHS) incinerators over the past two years. The babies were incinerated by 27 NHS trusts, of which 10 admitted burning the remains alongside other rubbish and two trusts used the bodies in ‘waste-to-energy’ plants to generate power for heat in hospitals. It was discovered that parents were not consulted about their wishes for the remains of the children.
The practice was uncovered by a UK television documentary series, Dispatches.3
The Telegraph further reported that “One of the country’s leading hospitals, Addenbrooke’s in Cambridge, incinerated 797 babies below 13 weeks gestation at their own ‘waste to energy’ plant. The mothers were told the remains had been ‘cremated’.” And that, “Another ‘waste to energy’ facility at Ipswich Hospital, operated by a private contractor, incinerated 1,101 foetal remains between 2011 and 2013. They were brought in from another hospital before being burned, generating energy for the hospital site.”4
Sir Bruce Keogh, NHS Medical Director, has written to all NHS trusts to tell them the practice must stop.
Reactions, vivid descriptions and condemnations to the news have come quickly. Dr Tim Stanley, a columnist for The Telegraph, pointed out, “That’s right—institutions created to protect life are being fuelled by burning the remains of the dead.”5 One comment on The Telegraph website described the horrible process succinctly as, “On a journey to be born on the Planet Earth. Torn out of the womb and incinerated.”6 And another comment read, “Dear God, what have we become?”7
A Holocaust comparison
It did not take long for comparisons to be made with the Nazi Holocaust as well. The Holocaust has been well documented to be based upon an evolutionary understanding of humanity by the Nazi regime in which the concept of the image of God in man (Genesis 1) was firmly removed.
Instead people were placed on an evolutionary tree, and if the branch that Hitler assigned them to wasn’t high enough then they were on the list to be exterminated. One comment on The Telegraph website read, “Heinrich Himmler of the German SS would be so proud— to know that ‘Great’ Britain has now stooped to this level of indecency and barbarism— and in less than 70 years no less!”8
Steve Ertelt, writing for Life News, also made the comparison stating, “While the pro-abortion movement frequently condemns pro-life advocates who draw comparisons between abortion and the Holocaust, the report of babies burned to heat UK hospitals is a shocking reminder of the callous way human life was treated by the Nazi regime.”9
Abortion, the silent genocide, clearly now has even stronger parallels to the Nazi Holocaust with the incineration of babies’ bodies. Perhaps someday in the future people will line up to mourn and weep at the hospital incinerators as they now do at those in Auschwitz.
Wholly disgusting, but not surprising
Dr Bruce Waltke points out that, “Fundamental to Genesis and the entirety of Scripture is the creation of humanity in the image of God. The expression ‘image of God’ is used uniquely with reference to human beings and so sets them apart from other creatures.”10 However, “evolution means that there is no basis for seeing humans as more advanced or developed than any other species.”11

So it is not surprising that in our currently evolution-saturated world the sanctity of human life has been forgotten, meaning humans can be murdered and then just incinerated like any other waste item.
The babies were seen only as organic waste, like a tumour or cancerous cells that had been removed from a body. They were given no rights or dignity. Their value was not grasped.
This is not surprising when we consider remarks made by Professor Cathy Warwick, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Midwives. When commenting on mothers inviting friends to view 3D and 4D scans of their children, so that they could be seen in amazing detail, she said, “Does this escalate the thinking held by some that a foetus should have a life of its own before birth and, therefore, have rights of its own? At the moment, UK law allows for the mother to make decisions on behalf of her baby until the baby is born. Using technology in this way seems to have the potential to upset this position and raises the spectrum of women being accused of doing wrong to their foetus, as happens in the USA.”12
Baby Steps video from American Life League: Using 4D ultrasounds, the film shows the baby in the womb from 8 weeks through to birth.
It is impossible to ignore that it really is a baby, a human being made in the image of God, in the womb, when such technology makes it abundantly clear.
Professor Warwick seems to forget that while the mother carries the baby it has long been understood medically that the baby is an entirely different person, with the mother’s immune system having to have been designed to not attack the baby.
Of course it is doing wrong to murder someone (Exodus 20:13). Babies in the womb should have the same fundamental rights as when they are born.
The Bible is clear that life starts at conception, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” (Psalm 139:13–16).
The way forward
To deal with the issues raised by the news story, both the initial act of abortion (murder) and then the barbaric disposal method of babies’ bodies, there needs to be a restoration in how humanity understands itself.
Only a clear understanding of the origin of humanity in the creation account in Genesis will be able to do this. It is in Genesis that it is made clear that man was created special, with intrinsic value, in the image of God (Genesis 1:26–29, Genesis 2:7–23). Of course Genesis then goes on to describe the fall of man into sin in the Garden of Eden. Our fallen state and sin is all too apparent when we read of news stories such as this. However the Good News is that God did not leave us in our sin, but sent Jesus to die on the cross, so that his wrath may be appeased and we may be forgiven. Abortion, as with other sin, can be forgiven if repentance is sought before the Creator-Saviour, Jesus Christ (John 1:9).
I would encourage Christians to point women struggling with this issue to Christian counselling services so they can obtain biblical guidance.
However, while the current order of things still stands and the silent genocide, abortion, continues to occur the Bible commands that we speak for those who have no voice, “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute.” (Proverbs 31:8).
Related Articles
Further Reading
References and notes
- Knapton, S., Aborted Babies Incinerated to Heat UK Hospitals, telegraph.co.uk, 24 March 2014. Return to text.
- The UK currently performs around 180,000 abortions each year most of which are paid for by the NHS. Return to text.
- Dispatches programme aired in the UK on Channel Four, 8pm, Monday 24 March 2014. Return to text.
- Ipswich Hospital Trust said it was concerned to discover that foetal remains from another hospital had been incinerated on its site. A spokeswoman said: “The Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust does not incinerate foetal remains.” She added that the trust “takes great care over foetal remains”. Return to text.
- Stanley, T., Aborted babies are being used to heat UK hospitals. This is the culture of death, blogs.telegraph.co.uk, 24 March 14. Return to text.
- Comment made by Robert Trip on comment board, Ref.1. Return to text.
- Comment made by Beaux Weevil on the comment board, Ref.1. Return to text.
- Comment made by Lest We Forget on comment board, Ref.1. Return to text.
- Ertelt, S., Shocking Report Shows 15,000 Aborted Babies Incinerated to Heat British Hospitals, lifenews.com, 24 March 2014. Return to text.
- Waltke, B.K., Genesis: a Commentary, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, p. 65, 2001. See our review. Return to text.
- Manes, C., Author of Green Rage (1991), quoted in The War on Humans by the Discovery Institute, 18 February 2014: see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWcEYYj_-rg, 38 seconds, accessed 25 March 2014. Return to text.
- Warwick, C., Foetus Parties: Womb with a view?, bbc.co.uk, 13 January 2012. Return to text.
Readers’ comments
With His commandments written on our hearts, we are to grow into strong plants - yielding fruit in abundance. Even though He may require at given times of us to become part of His process (as happened here when these grim details were brought to light); our utmost responsibility as those who fear God, remains to live, and move, and have our being in Jesus Christ - sent to us with healing in His wings. In Him alone we find our righteousness, and not in ourselves being better than others - including those committing these terrible atrocities.
What gives me hope about this article, is that once these alarming practices were revealed, vivid descriptions and accompanying condemnations followed quickly. Hereby, those participating in these horrors were openly confronted, and challenged to turn from their wicked ways. It is also is very encouraging to find that the medical Director had called for these practices stop.
Personally, it also was sobering to realise that being part of ONE HUMAN FAMILY, I cannot distance myself from what has been happening here. The first time (that I know of) that abortion hit our extended family tree, was when our seventh preborn cousin's blood watered British soil in the seventies. During that time - with abortion still illegal in South-Africa - women affluent enough visited London as part of their family planning.
Satan it is SHOCKING!
"For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up," says the Lord of hosts, "that will leave them neither root nor branch.
But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves.
You shall trample the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this," says the Lord of hosts.
"Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statues and judgments.
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse."
I treasure the fact that I was able to dig the grave for my 20 week miscarried daughter. As a dad, I couldn't do anything other than take care of her mother. Digging the grave was the last act of service I did for her.
I feel that the baby's soul and spirit was not present after it died and therefore I do not feel condemed that I did not treat the remains with more dignity.
I just want to ask that you spare a thought to up to 30% of moms who had no choice in losing there babies.
2 things of note. Socialist medicine dehumanizes the patient and life in general. Bean counters elevate cost saving measures like this barbaric process by making people objects of a centralized medical system rather than living human beings.
Pro-Choice is actually pro-death. It is really pro-life versus pro-death. Labels like fetus cover up the fact that a developing child has a heartbeat and brain waves by 8 weeks. It is not a fetus. It is a living human being developed enough to have a beating heart and operating brain. To eliminate that life or treat a dead baby as "clinical waste" is a direct denial of that childs humanity and the sanctity of life itself.
Anyone who doesn't believe in a satanic presence in the world need only reference events like this to disprove that theory. Only pure evil could contrive this solution and Satan is about a pure a form of evil as exists.
Whilst I am horrified by this story, I am also very shocked. I have not read the tabloid papers regarding this and wait to see the outcome of any such practice, which I find abhorrent. I am an employee as a Biomedical Scientist in Histopathology of an NHS hospital, in Wales. The measures that we undertake as a department, concerning foetal "disposal", are extremely strict and careful. This is in order to carry out the wishes of the relatives, particularly the mother, to absolutely ensure that any remains are "disposed of in a respectful and dignified manner, always. Every dead foetus is wrapped carefully in gauze and placed into a small cardboard coffin, and cremated at the local crematorium, usually following a short funeral service, on a "communal" basis, as requested by the parent/s. Babies that have died in nearly full term are clothed in baby clothes before cremation, if no other particular requirement has been requested. There are extremely strict guidelines in place, concerning this within the NHS in the UK, and I find it horrific if this has not been the case by a certain few health boards. The staff, where I work, are not necessarily Christian, but their dedication to respectful, dignified disposal of babies that have died is commendable, to say the least. If there have been unscrupulous practices carried out in certain NHS health Trusts, as you state, then I hope that heads will roll. But please be aware, not all NHS hospitals are involved in such horrible practices.
For the record, I am a Christian and a Biblical Creationist.
- The unborn baby has unique DNA... and this makes nonsense out of the claim it is part of the mother's body. (Since materialism denies the non-physical it tends to lead people to deny the existence of information and thus downplays the above argument. i.e. particles aren't unique... and of course aren't personal or human.)
- I think the reference to Chinese cuisine was most unfortunate.
Many, many women believe their circumstances leave them with no choice (so much for 'pro-choice'!) and at least 70% say they would not have done it if they had known, before their abortion, what they knew after.
Abortion is (among other effects) a major contributor to depression, reproductive difficulties, relationship breakdown, and breast cancer.
Can I say though folks that we, as Christians, must be careful what we say in the sense that - yes there are many babies who are wilfully aborted by their mothers and this is no doubt murder, but there are also babies who spontaneously miscarry when they have a loving mother who is then devastated at their loss. It is likely that many of these babies have also been incinerated in this way and we must have compassion, as Jesus would have, for these poor mums in a totally different category. May they come to know that their child is safe with God, finding comfort in that and hopefully being re-united in time.
We don't know the parents reasons for abortions, BUT I can not think of one single reason to abort!!! Why make such a fuss about what happens to the BABIES after abortion, blaming the hospitals etc (yes what they are doing IS appalling and unimaginable to me), but what do these parents care if their babies were burnt for various reasons or flushed down the toilet? Cooked up as Chinese cuisine or used as fish bait? THEY killed their un-born!!!!! They should of thought of this first. I pity them one day when they will have to account for their murderous deeds, and the doctors performing the procedure? Aren't doctors there to SAVE lives? And not TAKE? Lets deviate a bit from the INFERNO'S and focus on the people responsible, the parents and doctors making these decisions and following the heinous CRIMES!
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