{"id":238678,"date":"2021-01-26T07:43:47","date_gmt":"2021-01-26T13:43:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=238678"},"modified":"2021-01-24T21:46:12","modified_gmt":"2021-01-25T03:46:12","slug":"churchs-ministry-miscarriage-crucial-families","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/churchs-ministry-miscarriage-crucial-families\/","title":{"rendered":"The church’s ministry in a time of miscarriage is crucial for families"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

(Juicy Ecumenism<\/a>)\u00a0Recently, several couples have publicly spoken of the deep emotional pain they experienced at the death of their preborn child. When Chrissy Teigen and John Legend suffered a miscarriage last September, Teigen shared on Instagram:<\/p>\n

We are shocked and in the kind of deep pain you only hear about, the kind of pain we\u2019ve never felt before\u2026 we for some reason, had started to call this little guy in my belly Jack. Jack worked so hard to be part of our little family, and he will be, forever\u2026.We will always love you.<\/em><\/p>\n

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry also suffered a miscarriage last summer. Although pro-choice, Markle expressed her deep grief in losing her child writing in a New York Times<\/em> op-ed<\/a> piece:<\/p>\n

Losing a child means carrying an almost unbearable grief, experienced by many but talked about by few. In the pain of our loss, my husband and I discovered that in a room of 100 women, 10 to 20 of them will have suffered from miscarriage. Yet despite the staggering commonality of the pain, the conversation remains taboo, riddled with (unwarranted) shame, and perpetuating a cycle of solitary mourning.<\/em><\/p>\n

READ:\u00a0Meghan Markle on her miscarriage: \u2018I knew as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second\u2019<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

This Fall, Josie Bates Balka, from the reality show \u201cBringing Up Bates\u201d too shared that she and her husband lost a child they were expecting:<\/p>\n

\u2026 Our hearts have been completely broken. I\u2019ve never experienced the type of pain and loss that I\u2019ve had these past weeks. There is an empty spot in our hearts and in our home.<\/em><\/p>\n

Meghan McCain, co-host of \u201cThe View\u201d wrote<\/a> after she and husband Ben Domenech suffered a miscarriage in 2019:<\/p>\n

Miscarriage is a pain too often unacknowledged. Yet it is real, and what [women who have miscarried] have lost is real. We feel sorrow and we weep because our babies were real.<\/em><\/p>\n

The deep pain these parents feel at the death of their preborn child may extend to siblings and grandparents. Recognizing this pain Florida, Nebraska, and Tennessee upon request will issue a \u201cCommemorative Certificate of Nonviable Birth.\u201d Receiving a certificate from the state is more than receiving a piece of paper. It is a public recognition of the birth and death of their child. To a small degree, it rejects the \u201csolitary mourning\u201d to which Markle refers. The state certificate makes the birth and death a public event. It is not unlike a marriage certificate issued by the state that publicly recognizes the union.<\/p>\n

READ:\u00a0Nebraska to offer certificates to commemorate babies lost to miscarriage<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In Nebraska, the certificate includes the baby\u2019s name, the date the nonviable birth occurred, and the parents\u2019 names. The Nebraska Statute 71-607 stipulates that the certificate is not proof of a live birth and the state does not register the birth. The Department of Health and Human Services reports that 50-80 people request the certificate each year. The Tennessee certificate is similar to Nebraska\u2019s.<\/p>\n

In Florida, a \u201cCertificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth\u201d is issued if the baby is 20 weeks gestation or more. For a child under 20 weeks gestation, a \u201cCertificate of Nonviable Birth\u201d is issued. In both cases the baby\u2019s name, date of nonviable birth or stillbirth, and name of parents appear on the Certificate. The parents must request the certificate.<\/p>\n

The Wyoming legislature\u2019s attempt to pass similar legislation in February 2018 was defeated when pro-choice activists, fearful that a \u201cnonviable birth\u201d certificate would be an acknowledgement of the child\u2019s existence and effect abortion laws in the future, rallied support against the bill. So, mothers, fathers, siblings, grandparents are denied their right to choose to have a certificate recognizing the birth of their child.<\/p>\n

Yet, even when the state, representing the public, recognizes the birth and death of this child, the miscarriage still remains largely personal and private. Often friends and some family may not even be aware of the death. There is no outpouring of concern and care. How can the church minister to these grieving families? What if the church offered quarterly worship services to celebrate the lives of children that died before natural birth? Parents could name the child, friends and family could gather and participate in worship remembering Scripture\u2019s promise of eternal life and celebrating the gift of that child\u2019s life, however brief.<\/p>\n

Some years ago, a professor from Belgium speaking at a marriage conference observed that while the churches in Europe are largely empty, young people nevertheless return to the church for their wedding service. Thus, showing that the church\u2019s ministry at the time of their wedding is important to them.<\/p>\n

Perhaps if the church today reached out to couples, who have experienced the death of a preborn child, in their time of great sorrow, young people would once again hear the hope of the Gospel and see how Christ\u2019s love meets them in their grief.<\/p>\n

Sue Cyre<\/strong>\u00a0is a past board member of the Institute on Religion & Democracy. She previously served as Executive Director of Presbyterians for Faith, Family and Ministry (PFFM), an initiative providing resources to assist adherents in their defense of the biblical theology. Cyre also served as editor of <\/em>Theology Matters.<\/em><\/p>\n

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published at Juicy Ecumenism<\/a> and is reprinted here with permission.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cLike\u201d Live Action News on Facebook<\/a> for more pro-life news and commentary!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Juicy Ecumenism)\u00a0Recently, several couples have publicly spoken of the deep emotional pain they experienced at the death of their preborn child. When Chrissy Teigen and John Legend suffered a miscarriage last September, Teigen shared on Instagram: We are shocked and in the kind of deep pain you only hear about, the kind of pain we\u2019ve […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":790,"featured_media":238679,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[7077,4],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe church's ministry in a time of miscarriage is crucial for families<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Young people turn to the church for their weddings. 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