Section 16-34-3-4 - Disposition by cremation or interment; permits; confidential information(a) A hospital or ambulatory outpatient surgical center having possession of an aborted fetus shall provide for the final disposition of the aborted fetus. The burial transit permit requirements of IC 16-37-3 apply to the final disposition of an aborted fetus, which must be interred or cremated. However: (1) a person is not required to designate a name for the aborted fetus on the burial transit permit and the space for a name may remain blank; and(2) any information submitted under this section that may be used to identify the pregnant woman is confidential and must be redacted from any public records maintained under IC 16-37-3. Aborted fetuses may be cremated by simultaneous cremation.
(b) If the hospital or ambulatory outpatient surgical center conducts the cremation of aborted fetal remains on site, the hospital or ambulatory outpatient surgical center must comply with all state laws concerning the cremation of human remains as prescribed in IC 23-14-31. The hospital or ambulatory outpatient surgical center must make the onsite cremation equipment available to the state department for inspection at the time the hospital or ambulatory outpatient surgical center is inspected. When the hospital or ambulatory outpatient surgical center contracts with a licensed funeral home for the disposal of the aborted fetal remains, the contract must be made available for review by the state department at the time the hospital or ambulatory outpatient surgical center is inspected.(c) Except in extraordinary circumstances where the required information is unavailable or unknown, a burial transit permit issued under IC 16-37-3 that includes multiple fetal remains must be accompanied by a log prescribed by the state department containing the following information about each fetus included under the burial transit permit:(1) The date of the abortion.(2) Whether the abortion was surgical or induced by an abortion inducing drug.(3) The name of the funeral director licensee who will be retrieving the aborted fetus.(4) In the case of an abortion induced by an abortion inducing drug:(A) whether the pregnant woman will cremate or inter the fetus, or will return the fetus to the hospital or ambulatory outpatient surgical center for disposition; and(B) if the pregnant woman returns the fetus to the hospital or ambulatory outpatient surgical center, whether the returned fetus is included in the burial transit permit. The hospital or ambulatory outpatient surgical center must keep a copy of the burial transit permit and accompanying log in a permanent file.
(d) Each time the fetal remains are transported from one entity to another for disposition, the entity receiving the fetal remains must confirm that the number of fetal remains matches the information contained in the burial transit permit and accompanying log. After final disposition, a copy of the log will be sent back to the hospital or ambulatory outpatient surgical center. The final log will be attached to the original log described in subsection (c) and will be made available for review by the state department at the time of inspection.(e) A hospital or ambulatory outpatient surgical center is responsible for demonstrating to the state department that the hospital or ambulatory outpatient surgical center has complied with the protocol provided in this section.(f) A certificate of stillbirth is not required to be issued for an aborted fetus with a gestational age of less than twenty (20) weeks of age.(g) IC 23-14-31-26, IC 23-14-55-2, IC 25-15-9-18, and IC 29-2-19-17 concerning the authorization of disposition of human remains apply to this section.Amended by P.L. 179-2022SP1,SEC. 31, eff. 9/15/2022.Amended by P.L. 77-2020,SEC. 3, eff. 7/1/2020.Amended by P.L. 213-2016, SEC. 21, eff. 7/1/2016.Added by P.L. 113-2015, SEC. 6, eff. 7/1/2015.