A 57-year-old pathologist has been detained in Poland after 34 human foetuses were discovered buried in the garden of her former residence, the Office of the Public Prosecutor of the town of Rzeszów announced on Monday.
The woman, who has no prior criminal record, is suspected of using the foetuses for scientific experiments and faces up to 12 years in prison. Authorities arrested her on Friday, with charges including desecration of corpses, improper handling of waste, and dumping hazardous materials in unauthorised areas.
Krzysztof Ciechanowski, spokesperson for the Prosecutor's Office, said Magdalena H. is accused of burying human foetuses and other medical waste on her property, reportedly for scientific research purposes. According to the spokesperson, the doctor admitted to disposing of the foetuses and medical waste at the site.
Excavations at the property also uncovered tens of thousands of microscope slides, tissue samples embedded in paraffin, and related documentation.
Unnamed sources at Polish radio station Eska claim that Magdalena H. took the foetuses home from the hospital in Rzeszów, where she worked during the COVID-19 pandemic, allegedly to conduct research.
The case has sparked widespread public outrage in Poland, raising questions about how the doctor obtained the foetuses.
Poland has some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe.
However, the prosecutor’s office stated that there was no evidence suggesting that the foetuses were obtained through illegal abortions.
The identity of the foetuses remains undetermined, and it was not immediately clear whether Magdalena H. acted alone.
