Pregnancy & Infant Loss
The loss of a child, at any age, is an intensely painful experience. Sometimes
people wrongly assume that because miscarriages and stillbirths happen very
early in the life of a child, and are fairly common, that they are not as
painful as other losses later in life. The lack of respect for life at all
stages, and the prevalence of abortion in our culture, add to the sentiments
that the loss of a child during pregnancy or soon thereafter is not as worthy of
grief. This just isn't so. Unfortunately, those who have experienced a loss may
endure extra pain and suffering due to the lack of support and understanding
from others.
Therefore, the Respect Life Office is in the process of creating a pregnancy and
infant loss support booklet. As part of that process, we are collecting
questionnaires from parents, grandparents, and others who have experienced a
loss with the hope that what is eventually contained in the booklet is
information that is most helpful.
If you have experienced a loss, and feel comfortable sharing your story with our
office, please click on the link below to open and fill out the pdf
questionnaire, save it to your computer, and attach it to a new email addressed
to Kelly Benson at kbenson@sfcatholic.org. (We will not add your email address
to any of our databases unless specifically requested by you.) If you would like
to submit a questionnaire anonymously, simply fill out the pdf form leaving the
contact information blank, print it, and mail it via regular mail to:
Please note that you do not have to respond to all of the inquiries, only the ones with which you feel comfortable. We have written our inquires in the present tense because we realize that for most people, the grieving process lasts an earthly lifetime. So while it may seem that we are seeking information about recent losses, that is not the case. We welcome your input no matter how long ago the loss occurred.
All of this information is also contained on the front page of the questionnaire. Thank you in advance for your cooperation in this effort.
(If you have difficulty opening or working with the questionnaire, you may need
to upgrade your Adobe Reader program. You can do that HERE (http://get.adobe.com/reader/ ).)
Grief Counseling Available
Catholic Family Services offers grief counseling for those who have lost loved ones.
Please click for more information. In addition, following are websites with information and support.
DISCLAIMER: The following website links are listed for your convenience.
The fact that a certain website is contained in this list does not in any way signify endorsement by the
diocese, as some websites may take positions in opposition to the diocese or the teachings of the
Catholic Church, or may display information that we feel is inappropriate. If you have any questions
about the websites contained in this list, please call us at 605-988-3755.
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Pregnancy & Infant Loss Resources
BeNotAfraid.net
First launched online beginning in October of 2002, Benotafraid.net is a network of concerned parents, professionals, and laypersons who have experienced and/or worked closely with issues surrounding poor prenatal diagnoses. In presenting our stories and information relevant to various diagnoses, we intend to offer hope to parents who are asked to make life and death decisions about their unborn baby. This outreach is guided by the directives of the Catholic Church as they concern issues surrounding beginning and end of life.
www.benotafraid.net
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My Forever Child
The mission at My Forever Child™ is to create unique acknowledgement and memorial keepsakes, remembrance jewelry and sympathy gifts to comfort those touched by the loss of a Child, no matter what age- miscarriage, stillbirth, pregnancy and infant loss, newborn baby, toddler, older child, teen and adult death.
www.myforeverchild.com
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Remembering Our Babies October 15th
The mission is to educate and support families who have suffered a pregnancy and infant loss, and to inform and educate the public so that they can better respond with compassion to affected families.
www.october15th.com
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Share
Share Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support, Inc. serves those who have lives have been touched by the tragic death of a baby through early pregnancy loss, stillbirth, or during the first few months of life.
www.nationalshareoffice.com
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