The last thing before going into surgery that I wanted to think about was the type of wood for the baby’s urn–the final receptacle that would hold the ashes of the cremated baby, but the clinic staff surprised us by asking us detailed questions about cremation, urns and related merchandise. Although it was off-putting at the time, I was grateful that I was given the option of having a private company perform the cremation (instead of the more crass-sounding legally mandated “medical disposal” option), and given another option to keep the remains of the baby if we wished. The basic services for the funeral director and staff overseeing the process cost $225 and the urn (walnut/cherry), $110–not a cheap keepsake. We also looked into the possibility of interring the urn in my father’s grave but it turned out that it was cost prohibitive and a difficult process. The total for the cremation and the urn was over $300, but we were glad we did it–the urn surprisingly served an important role in our grief process. Although our original plan was to scatter the baby’s ashes into the ocean, the urn comforted us so much that we decided to keep it in our home as a reminder of life’s fleeting presence.
ABOVE: The walnut/cherry urn from Atlantis Cremation & Burial that stores the baby’s ashes inside. We thought of scattering the baby’s ashes but found that the urn has a comforting presence for us and kept in on the mantel instead…I know, a little odd for a mantelpiece!
Late-Term Abortion in Wanted Pregnancies 