September 9, 2025 • 14 mins
By week 24 of development in the womb, there is a greatly reduced risk of miscarriage - but the risk is not zero. Families who suffer these pregnancy losses are too often left to grieve unsupported by family, friends and church. This week's guest author on the topic of miscarriage, is Sue Cyre, past board member of the Institute for Religion and Democracy and past director of Presbyterians for Faith, Family and Ministry. She is the author of a book titled, From Genesis to Revelation God Takes a Bride: the divine marriage of which human marriage is an image, and also served as an editor of Theology Matters.
Ministry When There is a Miscarriage
Scripture references in this episode include:
Matthew 6:25 I Kings 17:17-24 2 Kings 4:18-37
Acts 20:7-12 Luke 8:49-56 Mark 10:14-16
Joshua 1:9
Amelia Sonja Taylor, born at 21 weeks
Miracle Baby Sabie, born at 23 weeks (less than 9 ounces!)
Nash Keen, born at 21 weeks (10 ounces)
https://www.ppl.org/baby-chris
Abortion is never medically necessary
Abortion Pill Reversal https://abortionpillreversal.com 24/7 Helpline at 877.558.0333 Email: help@apr.life or Chat at the weblink above
Post abortion recovery for both women and men at https://www.rachelsvineyard.org
Life Training Institute https://www.prolifetraining.com
Charlotte Lozier Institute https://lozierinstitute.org
Guttmacher Institute https://guttmacher.org
Compelled by the gospel, PPL equips Presbyterians to champion human life at every stage. PPL.org
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:15):
Welcome back to the ProLife Kitchen Table, the
weekly podcast of PresbyteriansProtecting Life.
And again, I'm your host,Deborah Holyfield.
Many things about pregnancy aremysterious, but one of the most
mysterious and tragic aspects ofpregnancy is miscarriage, when
for any number of reasons thepregnancy is unable to continue
(00:38):
to develop, resulting in a fetaldeath, and the mother's body
responds by expelling theplacenta with the fetus.
One point I want to make beforegoing on is that while the
medical coding for a miscarriageis sometimes referred to as a
spontaneous abortion, it'simportant to note that a
(00:58):
miscarriage is not anintentional abortion and no
medical professional considersit to be the same.
Also, following a miscarriage,sometimes the mother is treated
at the hospital with a procedureknown as a DNC to make certain
that all the tissue was expelledfrom her body in order to
protect her from developingsepsis.
(01:20):
Pro abortion advocates willsometimes try to promote this
DNC procedure as being the sameprocedure as an abortion.
This tactic on the part of thepro abortion advocates is
particularly cruel andexploitative of suffering women,
and when you hear it, you shouldcall it out and put a stop to
it.
(01:41):
By week twenty four, the risk ofmiscarriage is greatly reduced,
but not zero.
When this happens, the motherand father are often overwhelmed
with emotions of shock andgrief.
Yet many times family, friends,and church do not know how to
respond if they respond at all.
And too many parents are left tosuffer such a loss alone.
(02:04):
Today's article is written bySue Sire, past board member of
the Institute on Religion andDemocracy and author of the book
God Takes a Bride.
Today's article, Ministry WhenThere is a Miscarriage, was
originally published online byGC Ecumenism.
I'll link to the article in theshow notes.
(02:27):
Recently, several high profilecouples have publicly spoken of
the deep emotional pain theyexperienced at the death of
their preborn child.
When Chrissy Teagan and JohnLegends suffered a miscarriage,
she shared on Instagram, We areshocked and in the kind of deep
pain you only hear about, thekind of pain we've never felt
(02:48):
before.
We for some reason had startedto call this little guy in my
belly Jack.
Jack worked so hard to be partof our little family, and he
will be forever.
We will always love you.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harryhave also suffered a
miscarriage.
Although she is pro choice,Markle expressed her deep grief
(03:11):
in losing her child, writing ina New York Times op ed piece,
losing a child means carrying analmost unbearable grief,
experienced by many but talkedabout by few.
In the pain of our loss, myhusband and I discovered that in
a room of 100, ten to twenty ofthem will have suffered from
(03:32):
miscarriage.
Yet despite the staggeringcommonality of the pain, the
conversation remains taboo,riddled with unwarranted shame
and perpetuating a cycle ofsolitary mourning.
Josie Bates Balka from thereality show Bringing Up Bates
also shared that she and herhusband had lost a child.
(03:53):
Our hearts have been completelybroken.
I've never experienced the typeof pain and loss I've had these
past weeks.
There is an empty spot in ourhearts and in our home.
And Megan McCain, the co-host ofThe View, wrote that after she
and her husband Ben suffered amiscarriage in 2019, miscarriage
(04:13):
is a pain too oftenunacknowledged.
Yet it is real, and what womenwho have miscarried have lost is
real.
We feel sorrow and we weepbecause our babies were real.
The deep pain these parents feelat the death of their preborn
child may extend to siblings andgrandparents.
(04:35):
Recognizing this pain, Florida,Nebraska, and Tennessee, upon
request will issue acommemorative certificate of
nonviable birth.
Receiving a certificate from thestate is more than receiving a
piece of paper.
It is a public recognition oftheir birth and death of their
child.
To a small degree, it rejectsthe solitary mourning to which
(04:58):
Markle referred.
The state certificate makes thebirth and death a public event.
It's not unlike a marriagecertificate issued by the state
that publicly recognizes theunion.
In Nebraska, the certificateincludes the baby's name, the
date the non viable birthoccurred, and the parents'
names.
The Nebraska statute stipulatesthat the certificate is not
(05:21):
proof of a live birth and thestate does not register the
birth.
The Department of Health andHuman Services reports that 50
to 80 people request thecertificate each year.
The Tennessee certificate issimilar to Nebraska's.
In Florida, a certificate ofbirth resulting in stillbirth is
issued if the baby is 20 weeksgestation or more.
(05:44):
For a child under 20 weeksgestation, a certificate of
nonviable birth is issued.
In both cases, the baby's name,date of nonviable birth or
stillbirth, and name of parentsappear on the certificate.
The parents must request thecertificate.
The Wyoming legislature'sattempt to pass a similar
(06:05):
legislation in 2018 was defeatedwhen pro-choice activists,
fearful that nonviable birthcertificates would be an
acknowledgement of the child'sexistence and affect abortion
laws in the future, ralliedsupport against the bill.
So mothers, fathers, siblings,grandparents are denied their
right to choose to have acertificate recognizing the
(06:27):
birth of their child.
Yet even when the staterepresenting the public
recognizes the birth and deathof this child, the miscarriage
still remains largely personaland private.
Often friends and some familymay not even be aware of the
death.
There is no outpouring ofconcern and care.
So how can the church ministerto these grieving families?
(06:50):
What if the church offeredquarterly worship services to
celebrate the lives of childrenthat died before natural birth?
Parents could name the child,friends and family could gather
and participate in worship,remembering Scripture's promise
of eternal life and celebratingthe gift of that child's life,
however brief.
Some years ago, a professor fromBelgium speaking at a marriage
(07:13):
conference observed that whilethe churches in Europe are
largely empty, young peoplenevertheless return to the
church for their weddingservice, thus showing that the
church's ministry at the time oftheir wedding is important to
them.
Perhaps if the church todayreached out to couples who have
experienced the death of apreborn child in their time of
(07:33):
great sorrow, young people wouldonce again hear the hope of the
gospel and see how Christ's lovemeets them in their grief.
Well, surely there's muchministry to be done among the
families in your churchcongregation who've experienced
miscarriage.
If your church doesn't have one,I'd recommend getting with your
pastor and asking about puttingtogether a private memorial
(07:56):
service for after a miscarriage,and then making the congregation
aware that such pastoral care isavailable.
Also, many communities havememorial gardens where families
can place a marker for theirlost child.
Perhaps you could help design apamphlet for these grieving
parents that offers scripturalencouragement and lets them know
(08:17):
that memorial services andpastoral care are available from
the church staff and offeringreferrals to local support
groups in any memorial gardens.
Whether or not a family makesuse of any of those services or
offers of help, just knowingthat their church family
understands and cares about whatthey're going through is
important.
So now let's take a stretchbreak and come back afterwards
(08:40):
to find out what is happening tobaby Chris in his 24th week of
development in the womb.
SPEAKER_00 (08:49):
All of the materials and information presented in
this podcast are sourced fromthe four decades of information
and resources created byPresbyterians Protecting Life
and accessible to you at itswebsite.
PPL is compelled by the gospelto equip reformed Christians of
all denominations to championhuman life from fertilization to
natural death.
(09:10):
Train yourself and others tobecome a lifeline for women and
children and join us as a lifesupport prayer partner at
PPL.org.
SPEAKER_01 (09:23):
We are now at week 24 of Baby Chris's Development
in the Womb, and this week'sdevotional is called Early Bird.
Hear the word of the Lord.
Therefore, I tell you, do not beanxious about your life, what
you will eat, or what you willdrink, nor about your body, what
you will put on.
(09:44):
Matthew chapter 6, verse 25.
Thanks be to God.
Twenty-four-week-old baby Chrisis now growing at about the same
rate he will grow in the firstweeks after birth.
His body and face have lots ofhair that will be absorbed
before term birth.
His inner ear is fullydeveloped, helping his sense of
(10:06):
balance so he can stay rightside up in the womb.
This is an important milestonebecause 23 to 24 weeks has been
considered the age of viabilityfor premature babies, the age at
which babies will survive ifborn.
Today, over half the babies bornat 23 weeks survive and many at
22 weeks.
(10:26):
While babies born at 24 weeks orlater will need specialist care,
the long-term health effects ofpremature birth have been
greatly reduced.
Premature babies born at 23 to24 weeks are called micropremes.
They usually weigh just over apound and measure about eight
inches from head to bottom.
(10:47):
At this age, their body systemsare complete but underdeveloped.
The airways we read about lastweek will need respiratory
support.
Their hearing, though, is fullydeveloped, so they can hear and
recognize their parents' voices,although loud noises might be
overstimulating to theirunderdeveloped nervous systems.
According to the premature babycharity Bliss, about 80,000
(11:11):
babies are born prematurely inthis country, of whom
approximately 17,000 requireincubator care.
Around 5,000 are born before 31weeks, fewer than 300 are born
between 22 and 23 weeks.
The youngest premi to survivewas Amelia Taylor, born in 2007
(11:31):
at only 21 weeks and six daysgestation.
She is now a happy and healthy12-year-old.
The world's smallest premi, bornduring an emergency C-section
when her mother experiencedsevere preeclampsia, is Sabi,
born at 23 weeks, weighing lessthan 9 ounces.
(11:51):
Born in December 2018, followingheroic neonatal hospital care,
she is now at a normal weightand is at home with her parents.
The U.S.
is one of only seven countriesout of 198 in the world that
allows elective abortions after20 weeks of pregnancy, and nine
U.S.
states permit abortion up tobirth.
(12:14):
Both Amelia and Sebi might havebeen aborted if their mothers
had simply asked.
The witness of Scripture is thatGod cares for the smallest, the
weakest, and the innocent.
The prophets railed against theways Israel and Judah oppressed
the marginalized in their midst.
In a time and culture wherechildren were viewed as
(12:34):
property, creatures withoutsouls, Elijah and Elisha raised
young boys from their deathbeds.
Paul raised young Eutychus aftera fatal fall.
Jesus raised Jairus' daughterfrom her deathbed and welcomed
little children to his side whenthe disciples would have sent
them away.
More than 500 times Scripturereminds us to fear not, be not
(12:58):
afraid, or addresses theanxieties and fears of weak
humanity.
When we follow God's example inour treatment of human life, we
see value in each human being,no matter how small, weak, or
infirm, pre-born and born,underdeveloped microprimis or
frail elders, both Paralympicathletes and the bedridden.
(13:21):
All our heroes deserving of ourown heroic efforts on their
behalf, because they are all onewith us.
Hear the word of the Lord.
Be strong and courageous.
Do not be frightened and do notbe dismayed, for the Lord your
God is with you wherever you go.
Joshua chapter 1, verse 9.
(13:44):
Thanks be to God.
SPEAKER_00 (13:50):
We hope you enjoyed this week's reflection.
We encourage you to share it andjoin us next time on Pro Life
Kitchen Table.
May God bless you.
Welcome back to the ProLife Kitchen Table, the
weekly podcast of PresbyteriansProtecting Life.
And again, I'm your host,Deborah Holyfield.
Many things about pregnancy aremysterious, but one of the most
mysterious and tragic aspects ofpregnancy is miscarriage, when
for any number of reasons thepregnancy is unable to continue
(00:38):
to develop, resulting in a fetaldeath, and the mother's body
responds by expelling theplacenta with the fetus.
One point I want to make beforegoing on is that while the
medical coding for a miscarriageis sometimes referred to as a
spontaneous abortion, it'simportant to note that a
(00:58):
miscarriage is not anintentional abortion and no
medical professional considersit to be the same.
Also, following a miscarriage,sometimes the mother is treated
at the hospital with a procedureknown as a DNC to make certain
that all the tissue was expelledfrom her body in order to
protect her from developingsepsis.
(01:20):
Pro abortion advocates willsometimes try to promote this
DNC procedure as being the sameprocedure as an abortion.
This tactic on the part of thepro abortion advocates is
particularly cruel andexploitative of suffering women,
and when you hear it, you shouldcall it out and put a stop to
it.
(01:41):
By week twenty four, the risk ofmiscarriage is greatly reduced,
but not zero.
When this happens, the motherand father are often overwhelmed
with emotions of shock andgrief.
Yet many times family, friends,and church do not know how to
respond if they respond at all.
And too many parents are left tosuffer such a loss alone.
(02:04):
Today's article is written bySue Sire, past board member of
the Institute on Religion andDemocracy and author of the book
God Takes a Bride.
Today's article, Ministry WhenThere is a Miscarriage, was
originally published online byGC Ecumenism.
I'll link to the article in theshow notes.
(02:27):
Recently, several high profilecouples have publicly spoken of
the deep emotional pain theyexperienced at the death of
their preborn child.
When Chrissy Teagan and JohnLegends suffered a miscarriage,
she shared on Instagram, We areshocked and in the kind of deep
pain you only hear about, thekind of pain we've never felt
(02:48):
before.
We for some reason had startedto call this little guy in my
belly Jack.
Jack worked so hard to be partof our little family, and he
will be forever.
We will always love you.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harryhave also suffered a
miscarriage.
Although she is pro choice,Markle expressed her deep grief
(03:11):
in losing her child, writing ina New York Times op ed piece,
losing a child means carrying analmost unbearable grief,
experienced by many but talkedabout by few.
In the pain of our loss, myhusband and I discovered that in
a room of 100, ten to twenty ofthem will have suffered from
(03:32):
miscarriage.
Yet despite the staggeringcommonality of the pain, the
conversation remains taboo,riddled with unwarranted shame
and perpetuating a cycle ofsolitary mourning.
Josie Bates Balka from thereality show Bringing Up Bates
also shared that she and herhusband had lost a child.
(03:53):
Our hearts have been completelybroken.
I've never experienced the typeof pain and loss I've had these
past weeks.
There is an empty spot in ourhearts and in our home.
And Megan McCain, the co-host ofThe View, wrote that after she
and her husband Ben suffered amiscarriage in 2019, miscarriage
(04:13):
is a pain too oftenunacknowledged.
Yet it is real, and what womenwho have miscarried have lost is
real.
We feel sorrow and we weepbecause our babies were real.
The deep pain these parents feelat the death of their preborn
child may extend to siblings andgrandparents.
(04:35):
Recognizing this pain, Florida,Nebraska, and Tennessee, upon
request will issue acommemorative certificate of
nonviable birth.
Receiving a certificate from thestate is more than receiving a
piece of paper.
It is a public recognition oftheir birth and death of their
child.
To a small degree, it rejectsthe solitary mourning to which
(04:58):
Markle referred.
The state certificate makes thebirth and death a public event.
It's not unlike a marriagecertificate issued by the state
that publicly recognizes theunion.
In Nebraska, the certificateincludes the baby's name, the
date the non viable birthoccurred, and the parents'
names.
The Nebraska statute stipulatesthat the certificate is not
(05:21):
proof of a live birth and thestate does not register the
birth.
The Department of Health andHuman Services reports that 50
to 80 people request thecertificate each year.
The Tennessee certificate issimilar to Nebraska's.
In Florida, a certificate ofbirth resulting in stillbirth is
issued if the baby is 20 weeksgestation or more.
(05:44):
For a child under 20 weeksgestation, a certificate of
nonviable birth is issued.
In both cases, the baby's name,date of nonviable birth or
stillbirth, and name of parentsappear on the certificate.
The parents must request thecertificate.
The Wyoming legislature'sattempt to pass a similar
(06:05):
legislation in 2018 was defeatedwhen pro-choice activists,
fearful that nonviable birthcertificates would be an
acknowledgement of the child'sexistence and affect abortion
laws in the future, ralliedsupport against the bill.
So mothers, fathers, siblings,grandparents are denied their
right to choose to have acertificate recognizing the
(06:27):
birth of their child.
Yet even when the staterepresenting the public
recognizes the birth and deathof this child, the miscarriage
still remains largely personaland private.
Often friends and some familymay not even be aware of the
death.
There is no outpouring ofconcern and care.
So how can the church ministerto these grieving families?
(06:50):
What if the church offeredquarterly worship services to
celebrate the lives of childrenthat died before natural birth?
Parents could name the child,friends and family could gather
and participate in worship,remembering Scripture's promise
of eternal life and celebratingthe gift of that child's life,
however brief.
Some years ago, a professor fromBelgium speaking at a marriage
(07:13):
conference observed that whilethe churches in Europe are
largely empty, young peoplenevertheless return to the
church for their weddingservice, thus showing that the
church's ministry at the time oftheir wedding is important to
them.
Perhaps if the church todayreached out to couples who have
experienced the death of apreborn child in their time of
(07:33):
great sorrow, young people wouldonce again hear the hope of the
gospel and see how Christ's lovemeets them in their grief.
Well, surely there's muchministry to be done among the
families in your churchcongregation who've experienced
miscarriage.
If your church doesn't have one,I'd recommend getting with your
pastor and asking about puttingtogether a private memorial
(07:56):
service for after a miscarriage,and then making the congregation
aware that such pastoral care isavailable.
Also, many communities havememorial gardens where families
can place a marker for theirlost child.
Perhaps you could help design apamphlet for these grieving
parents that offers scripturalencouragement and lets them know
(08:17):
that memorial services andpastoral care are available from
the church staff and offeringreferrals to local support
groups in any memorial gardens.
Whether or not a family makesuse of any of those services or
offers of help, just knowingthat their church family
understands and cares about whatthey're going through is
important.
So now let's take a stretchbreak and come back afterwards
(08:40):
to find out what is happening tobaby Chris in his 24th week of
development in the womb.
SPEAKER_00 (08:49):
All of the materials and information presented in
this podcast are sourced fromthe four decades of information
and resources created byPresbyterians Protecting Life
and accessible to you at itswebsite.
PPL is compelled by the gospelto equip reformed Christians of
all denominations to championhuman life from fertilization to
natural death.
(09:10):
Train yourself and others tobecome a lifeline for women and
children and join us as a lifesupport prayer partner at
PPL.org.
SPEAKER_01 (09:23):
We are now at week 24 of Baby Chris's Development
in the Womb, and this week'sdevotional is called Early Bird.
Hear the word of the Lord.
Therefore, I tell you, do not beanxious about your life, what
you will eat, or what you willdrink, nor about your body, what
you will put on.
(09:44):
Matthew chapter 6, verse 25.
Thanks be to God.
Twenty-four-week-old baby Chrisis now growing at about the same
rate he will grow in the firstweeks after birth.
His body and face have lots ofhair that will be absorbed
before term birth.
His inner ear is fullydeveloped, helping his sense of
(10:06):
balance so he can stay rightside up in the womb.
This is an important milestonebecause 23 to 24 weeks has been
considered the age of viabilityfor premature babies, the age at
which babies will survive ifborn.
Today, over half the babies bornat 23 weeks survive and many at
22 weeks.
(10:26):
While babies born at 24 weeks orlater will need specialist care,
the long-term health effects ofpremature birth have been
greatly reduced.
Premature babies born at 23 to24 weeks are called micropremes.
They usually weigh just over apound and measure about eight
inches from head to bottom.
(10:47):
At this age, their body systemsare complete but underdeveloped.
The airways we read about lastweek will need respiratory
support.
Their hearing, though, is fullydeveloped, so they can hear and
recognize their parents' voices,although loud noises might be
overstimulating to theirunderdeveloped nervous systems.
According to the premature babycharity Bliss, about 80,000
(11:11):
babies are born prematurely inthis country, of whom
approximately 17,000 requireincubator care.
Around 5,000 are born before 31weeks, fewer than 300 are born
between 22 and 23 weeks.
The youngest premi to survivewas Amelia Taylor, born in 2007
(11:31):
at only 21 weeks and six daysgestation.
She is now a happy and healthy12-year-old.
The world's smallest premi, bornduring an emergency C-section
when her mother experiencedsevere preeclampsia, is Sabi,
born at 23 weeks, weighing lessthan 9 ounces.
(11:51):
Born in December 2018, followingheroic neonatal hospital care,
she is now at a normal weightand is at home with her parents.
The U.S.
is one of only seven countriesout of 198 in the world that
allows elective abortions after20 weeks of pregnancy, and nine
U.S.
states permit abortion up tobirth.
(12:14):
Both Amelia and Sebi might havebeen aborted if their mothers
had simply asked.
The witness of Scripture is thatGod cares for the smallest, the
weakest, and the innocent.
The prophets railed against theways Israel and Judah oppressed
the marginalized in their midst.
In a time and culture wherechildren were viewed as
(12:34):
property, creatures withoutsouls, Elijah and Elisha raised
young boys from their deathbeds.
Paul raised young Eutychus aftera fatal fall.
Jesus raised Jairus' daughterfrom her deathbed and welcomed
little children to his side whenthe disciples would have sent
them away.
More than 500 times Scripturereminds us to fear not, be not
(12:58):
afraid, or addresses theanxieties and fears of weak
humanity.
When we follow God's example inour treatment of human life, we
see value in each human being,no matter how small, weak, or
infirm, pre-born and born,underdeveloped microprimis or
frail elders, both Paralympicathletes and the bedridden.
(13:21):
All our heroes deserving of ourown heroic efforts on their
behalf, because they are all onewith us.
Hear the word of the Lord.
Be strong and courageous.
Do not be frightened and do notbe dismayed, for the Lord your
God is with you wherever you go.
Joshua chapter 1, verse 9.
(13:44):
Thanks be to God.
SPEAKER_00 (13:50):
We hope you enjoyed this week's reflection.
We encourage you to share it andjoin us next time on Pro Life
Kitchen Table.
May God bless you.
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