Cruelest mystery: death before life

SunSpot.net ^ | 3/24/02 | Diana K. Sugg

[Caleb1411]

That chilly night in late October, the delivery room was so quiet. The doctor wrapped the 8-pound, 21-inch newborn girl in a pink-and-blue striped cotton blanket, pulled a matching cap over her brown hair and gently passed her to her mother.

Margarete Heber cradled the baby. In the dim light, Heber could see the infant had her dark eyes, turned-up nose and distinctive chin. Perfect, except she was tinged blue. She had died just hours before she was born. Her birth would be her good-bye.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Interesting article and one that makes me grateful for four healthy children and nnine healthy grandchildren.

It is ironic that these parents are fighting for acknowledgement of their stillborn's existence via issuence of a birth certificate while other parents (and our liberal legislators) are deny the humanity of a baby's being before birth -- just erase the kid through abortion. Brrrrrrr. Gives me chills.

[TomT in NJ]

That's so sad to go the whole nine months of a pregancy and lose the baby when he's born. My wife and I just lost ours at 2 months gestational age. We are even more grateful (as if that's possible) for our 26 month old daughter who was born 11 weeks early but is doing just fine now.

[Caleb1411]

It is ironic that these parents are fighting for acknowledgement of their stillborn's existence via issuence of a birth certificate while other parents (and our liberal legislators) are deny the humanity of a baby's being before birth -- just erase the kid through abortion. Brrrrrrr. Gives me chills.

So zealously pro-death are they (media and legislators) that they refer to the babies protected under the House-passed Born-Alive Infants Protection Act as born-alive fetuses.

At 7:39 p.m. Tuesday [on the evening the House passed the bill], the Associated Press bureau in Washington sent out a dispatch that began, "The House voted Tuesday to define a fetus that is fully outside a woman's body as having been 'born alive,' which would give the fetus full legal protection." The term "fetus" was employed repeatedly throughout the rest of the dispatch. NRLC press release

[LurkedLongEnough]

Good post; so sadly a reality for so many. Thanks for pointing out the problem and the need for research to find the reason for these stillbirths and hopefully find prevention.

[afraidfortherepublic]

My condolences on the loss of your child and my congratulations and best wishes on the health of your daughter.

[TomT in NJ]

thank you for your kind words