Nearly three decades ago, President Ronald Reagan declared the entire month of October 1988 to be Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month. Amidst tremendous taboo toward the loss of pre- and neonatal children, grieving families welcome acknowledgment of their loss. Currently there is just one day dedicated to Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness: October 15. On this day, families who have lost babies too soon light a candle to honor the memories of their children.
Miscarriage, while incredibly common (one in every four pregnancies is estimated to be miscarried), is still a verboten cultural topic – and this is no doubt greatly attributable to the fact that abortion remains a cultural norm. Indeed, how can we adequately grieve miscarried and stillborn babies if the culture says we should celebrate abortion? In truth, we cannot. Widespread acknowledgement of the reality of pregnancy and infant loss depends on the establishment of a consistent Pro-Life worldview. That means acknowledging, as a society, that all loss of innocent human Life – including in abortion – is tragic.
In a contribution to The Federalist following her fourth miscarriage, Constance T. Hull shared:
Nothing goes against the nature of motherhood more than miscarriage, other than abortion. Miscarriage demands that a mother bleed out her child against her will. […]
My pain, sorrow, grief, and anguish are not over a blob of tissue. I do not cry because my body is expelling blood and clots. I grieve the loss of my child. I am sorrowful over the loss of four unique, incredible, and deeply loved children. My soul and body were united to each of my children from conception. […] The world’s greatest deception today is the dehumanization of the unborn. Of course they are human. That is scientific fact, but even beyond the science, mothers and fathers know they have lost a child when there is a miscarriage. The grief is just as powerful and intense as the loss of any child born full-term.
In spite of the taboo and silence around the loss of our smallest brothers and sisters, miscarriage matters to the Pro-Life movement. Texas Right to Life extends our most heartfelt prayers and condolences to those who have experienced the loss of miscarriage. For more resources, visit MyMiscarriageMatters.com.