testing the water

Evidently, I have too much time on my hands, so I've decided to start a blog of my own. I like to read other people's blogs and I like to write about random things, so why the heck not have a blog. I mean, all the cool kids are doing it.

The funny thing is that I'm sort of a private person. Why then would I want to publish my thoughts to the world you ask. Well, that's a spectacular question. I suppose I don't have to tell anyone that the blog exists. No, seriously, this is a good way for me to open up more and on a less weighty note, I'm type A, so I enjoy the archiving and organizing of my writing in one place.

Now that that's out of the way...I was reading an article called "A Move for Birth Certificates for Stillborn Babies." I can't even begin to imagine the pain that a woman goes through giving birth to a stillborn child. It's bad enough to have a miscarriage, but to get within weeks or days of your delivery date--with all of the planning, baby showers and excitement--and then lose your baby must be an utterly unbearable experience. According to the article, women in this situation will receive a death certificate and nothing more. The women interviewed for the article made the point that they went through the birthing process and lactated, and in turn, they should receive some kind of validation. Validation in the form of a birth certificate. To me, it doesn't make sense for the government to distribute a death certificate for a being that they haven't acknowledged as existing (in the form of a birth certificate). At the same time, is a birth certificate really going to make a difference for mothers dealing with such grief?

Then there's the abortion rights issue. I should share right now that I'm unwaveringly pro-choice. Some pro-choice supporters argue that if a mother receives a birth certificate for a stillborn baby, the government is saying that a "nonviable fetus" is a person. I don't think there's really an issue here because I see the stillborn as a baby and not in "fetus" terms. Babies can be born several weeks early and have full brain function; all their systems may not be regulated as was the case with me, born seven weeks early, but they are babies.

If mothers need a document to validate their pregnancy and to remember what might have been a magnificent human being, then I vote with the counselors: create an informal "memory certificate."