Women urged to send used tampons to Texas governor to protest abortion burial law

Comes as Greg Abbott approves plans prohibiting hospitals from disposing of fetal remains

Pro-choice supporters rally outside the Supreme Court before the June 2016 court ruling in a case that imposed heavy restrictions on abortion clinics in Texas and was struck down (EPA)

After months of fierce opposition from abortion rights advocates and the medical community, Texas voted to implement new rules that require fetal remains to be cremated or buried instead of disposed in sanitary landfills.

Health officials finalised the plans in November prohibiting hospitals, abortion clinics and other healthcare facilities from disposing of foetal remains – regardless of the period of gestation.

Now many women have expressed their outrage at a law that will make abortions more costly adding further barriers for women to access safe, legal abortions.

And one Texas resident is sharing an idea that many seem to support.

In a Facebook post, Ele Chupik called on women to send Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who approved the proposal to avoid aborted foetuses being “treated like medical waste and disposed of in landfills”, used sanitary items to check their “fertilised status”.

It read: “YO TEXAS LADIES/ IM SURE U HEARD/ AS OF DECEMBER 19TH: all miscarried and aborted fetal tissue must be cremated or buried in the state of Texas. So, if you aren’t sure about the fertilised status of your used tampons, panty liners or indefinitely ruined underpants, place them in a 4×6 bubble envelope and mail them to the office of Governor Greg Abbott for testing. It’s your civic duty.”

The post, which has since been deleted, also included the address of the Governor’s office.

The idea attracted praise from many pro-choice activists, with some questioning whether used condoms should also be sent.

While abortion remains legal in the state, Texan pro-life campaigners have lobbied to make it harder for women to access terminations.

In 2016, a law was passed that assumes all women seeking abortions are minors until they prove otherwise with recognised ID.

And in 2011, the state passed a law that required women to visit an abortion facility twice before being able to access services.

On Thursday, the post had been shared more than 13,000 times.

The Independent has contacted Ele Chupik and Greg Abbott for comment.