SALEM, Ore. – Oregon’s Marion County commissioners have given final approval to an order to stop a company from receiving medical waste it burns to generate power until procedures are in place to prevent the inclusion of fetal tissue.
Commissioners Sam Brentano and Janet Carlson made the decision at an emergency hearing Thursday. Both strongly oppose abortion and said they were horrified and disgusted to learn that abortion waste is in the refuse Covanta Marion uses to generate electricity.
The power plant is owned and operated by Covanta in a partnership with the county. It processes 550 tons of municipal solid waste a day, with only a small portion coming from medical sources. A Covanta spokeswoman said the company is cooperating with the suspension, and does not seek out the waste that upset commissioners.
The decision came about a month after reporters in the United Kingdom discovered that health authorities there used fetal remains to generate power at medical facilities. The Department of Health quickly banned the practice.
