Mother Succeeds in Court Fight to Get Placenta Back

By Anastacia Mott Austin

When Anne Swenson gave birth to her baby girl in April at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in Nevada, she wanted to keep the placenta – to eat it.

Said Swenson to reporters, "It’s different, it’s unique, not a lot of people do it and we’re always afraid of things we’re not familiar with."

Citing studies which say that ingesting the placenta after birth can prevent postpartum depression, Swenson had planned to dry the organ, put it in capsule form, and take it as a supplement.

But the hospital balked at her request, saying it was biohazardous material, and refused to give it to her.

Notified that Swenson would be pursuing a lawsuit, the hospital was ordered not to destroy the placenta as they typically do, but freeze it instead.

After Swenson won her case, the hospital agreed to return it to her.

Swenson’s lawyer David Lee, said to reporters, "I think this is just a case of people’s rights. It’s her placenta, she wants to keep it," adding that this was one of the more unusual cases he has been involved with.

According to Nevada law, there is no legal reason to refuse to give a patient the placenta after a birth, though most hospitals consider it potentially hazardous medical waste. If a patient requests the placenta for religious or other reasons, they are legally entitled to it.

No longer planning to eat the placenta, Swenson says she will bury it, but added, "I hope this brings about a better awareness of the benefits of placenta."