The Word Among Us

Advent 2022 Issue

Coping With the Loss of a Child

The Institute of Reproductive Grief Care Reaches Out to Those Grieving Miscarriage and Abortion

By: Hallie Riedel

Coping With the Loss of a Child: The Institute of Reproductive Grief Care Reaches Out to Those Grieving Miscarriage and Abortion by Hallie Riedel

It was not her first appointment at the women’s health center. A month earlier, Jill*, sixteen years old and facing an unplanned pregnancy, had come in for a pregnancy test. As she talked to the staff, she began to understand that she was carrying a new life, so she made the decision to carry the pregnancy to term. But not long after that, she had a miscarriage. Some friends and family members tried to tell her it was for the best—a relief, even—since she wouldn’t have to raise a child at such a young age. Others told her she would have plenty of chances in the future to have a baby.

But Jill was distraught. She felt empty and kept thinking about her baby. So she returned to the health center in Washington state to...

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