Today’s guest article is by Petra Wallenmeyer, who is the Content Director at Human Defense Initiative. Introduction A rather interesting journal publication was brought to my attention a few weeks ago. The article is called “Conscious Abortion: Engaging the Fetus in a Compassionate Dialogue” and was published in the Journal of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology […]
“Spontaneous abortion” is the medical term for a miscarriage. Many people have expressed confusion and hurt regarding this phrase, believing that it’s trying to equivocate between a miscarriage and an elective abortion or that it’s suggesting a woman gets an abortion casually. As someone who has had two miscarriages, I understand the gravity and sensitivity […]
A recent Canadian research article provides recommendations on medications for managing symptoms in seriously ill babies who are receiving palliative care outside the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).1 Beyond providing technical guidance, this study casts light on the value of these tiny babies, their capacity for pain, and their essentially human need for connection and […]
I’ve long wanted four children. I have a 6-year-old daughter, a 4-year-old daughter, and a 2-year-old son. My son was originally a twin, but we lost his sibling in the first trimester. I grieved (and still grieve), but I also knew that pregnancies with multiples often have problems, and I was not afraid to try […]
Summary of Pennsylvania’s Final Disposition of Fetal Remains Act Today’s guest post is by Daniel Gump. On January 11, 2021, Pennsylvania Representative Francis Ryan reintroduced the Final Disposition of Fetal Remains Act (House Bill No. 118) to The General Assembly of Pennsylvania.[1] He previously introduced it to the committee on health in September 2019.[2] This […]
Sometimes pro-choice people claim that outlawing abortion would mean the state will investigate every miscarriage as potential murder. Pro-lifers counter that natural death (miscarriage) is not equivalent to purposeful killing (abortion). This reply is obviously true, but it doesn’t really address the concern. At minimum, early miscarriage and medication-induced abortion look physiologically the same. If […]
Editor’s note: We believe it’s important for more of the public to be aware of perinatal hospice services. We recently published overviews of what perinatal hospice entails and state laws regarding patient notification of perinatal hospice options. In today’s post, guest blogger Leslie Corbly summarizes a recent article published in The Journal of Pediatric Nursing: “Being […]
In a recent Note in the Washington University Law Review, author Ashley Flakus examines when, if at all, it is appropriate for the state to require pregnant women be told about perinatal hospice. (Click here for a general overview perinatal hospice services.) While Flakus is obviously pro-choice, she makes some valid points about abortion, perinatal […]
What is Perinatal Hospice? Unless you or a loved one have utilized the services of a perinatal hospice program, you likely didn’t even know such a thing existed. Hospice, as we know, is for dying people… so why would we be contemplating such a system for a newly born baby? Especially in a first-world country, […]