Miscarriage in Christian Thought

It is difficult to find specific doctrinal statements on the subject of miscarriage from a Christian perspective. There has been a great deal written and spoken by Christian theologians and thinkers on the subject of abortion (induced miscarriage). The general consensus from the Early Church teachings through the 20th century was that abortion is wrong, with variations of the specific ethics of it along the way. It seems obvious, then, that there was consideration of life in the womb. But the writings take different stances on what actually goes on when a pregnancy ends. To some early Christian writers, abortion was equivalent to murder, which would mean natural miscarriage equaled a natural death--both concepts implying that the child in the womb was fully human, ensouled, and valuable as a human life. But others wrote about "sterilizing" the womb or cutting off "potential life," implying that what is in the womb is not yet alive, and thus not yet ensouled. Lacking technology, many took "quickening" (the first movements in the womb felt by the baby's mother) to be the point at which life and ensoulment became extant, and from that point on considered the end of life in the womb to be no different from the end of the life of an already born child, or an adult. The soul was there, and either went to heaven or hell, depending on the particular doctrine about salvation a person held.

Technological advancement has only complicated things further, as has the abortion debate. What a woman feels emotionally about a miscarriage (that she has lost a baby) may not match what the law says about it (it's not a baby until it meets arbitrary legal specifications), or even her own views about life in the womb (having concienciously used "fetus" and supported abortion, many women still feel that they have indeed not lost a mere something-that-might-be-life-but-isn't-really-a-person, but a real baby). This societal conflict carries over into the spiritual aspect, which in itself is complicated, and can lead to a state of upset and confusion in which is difficult to navigate.

Because Christian thought on soul-life and salvation differ, individual Christians may reach very different conclusions about the purpose (if there was one) of their miscarriage, whether it was a life lost or a loss of potential, and if there was life, where the soul carried by that life has ended up. Below, several of these thoughts are summarized. I'm not claiming to cover all variations on this subject, but hopefully these few can provide a good jumping off point

Generic Evangelical (Pro-life): Human life begins at conception, with a genetically unique individual that bears all the marks of biological life. This being is a full person, and fully ensouled. Miscarriage likely happens because we live in a "fallen" and physically corrupted world, so it is not the mother's fault, and it is not "the hand of God". It just happens. Because God is merciful and just, it is likely that miscarried babies go immediately to heaven and remain in God's presence for eternity.

Various denominations within Protestant Christianity may have very different takes on this, however. For some who follow a more Calvinist line of thinking, for instance, a miscarriage may be a direct part of God's plan, and the salvation of that miscarried baby is dependant on God's sovreign plan and not on their being too young to have sinned.

Generic Evangelical (Pro-choice): The how and when of human life and ensoulment is supremely complex. We can't know for sure when life begins or when ensoulment happens, and therefore we cannot know for sure what happens in a miscarriage with regard to the soul. The Bible doesn't treat life in the womb the same as those who have already been born, and the unborn are not equivalent in terms of personhood to the born. But it is OK (perhaps even good) to grieve the loss of what might have been, of hopes and dreams for that would-be life, and the grieving process is a matter of personal choice and feeling, rather than doctrine.

Catholic: Catholic doctrine on human life and ensoulment applies to miscarriage. Life and a soul exists from conception, and so miscarriage is a death just as the death of a born infant or an adult would be. It should be treated in the same way, and mourned for the same reasons. Because God is merciful, it is entirely reasonable to hope, or even take on faith, that the soul of a miscarried baby goes to God's presence in heaven.

Clearly I have not covered all possible beliefs within Christianity on the subject of miscarriage. That would be impossible, not just because of the large number of different denominations, but the even larger number of indifidual interpretations of Scripure and doctrine.

What most seem to agree on are these: Miscarriage is grievous and it is right to mourn such a loss; God is merciful and we can trust in that mercy when it comes to the babies we have lost and their eternal destiny; Couples who experience miscarriage need to be supported and comforted by their faith community.

Miscarriage is not a good stage on which to hold a debate about abortion, when life begins, or when ensoulment happens. Ultimately the one certainty we have in all variations of Christian teaching about miscarriage is that we need to reach out to those who have lost babies, extending love and compassion and giving assistance to them in any way we can.

¹Early Christians and Abortion, David W. T. Brattson, http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/jun/09061504.html
²Quickening, Developmental Biology, http://8e.devbio.com/article.php?id=162
³How God Used Miscarriage to Remove the High Places, "Irish Calvinist" blog, http://www.irishcalvinist.com/?p=2004
⁴Can a Christian Be Pro-choice, "Gaytheistic" blog, http://gaytheistic.wordpress.com/2008/03/24/can-a-christian-be-pro-choice/
⁵Do Miscarried Babies Go to Heaven?, David E. Utsler, http://catholicexchange.com/2003/09/11/82941/