Royal Institute of Philosophy Seminar

Dr Karolina Kuberska 

Bereavement care following pregnancy loss: 3 things to know

 
Wednesday 22 January 2020 

4pm - 5:30pm

School of Law - Chancellors Building - Moot room - CBC2.028

Short Abstract:

While pregnancy loss has been receiving more and more attention both in the media and from the government, it remains a difficult topic to broach. Popular framing of pregnancy as a life event with a certain outcome and lack of established social scripts on how to deal with a pregnancy loss may add to the trauma of losing a much wanted baby. Despite the fact that decades of research around pregnancy loss has been showing that this complex, nuanced, and personal issue would benefit from broader social awareness, relatively little progress has occurred. Assumptions related to the timing of pregnancy loss often determine people’s reactions, with miscarriage more likely to be dismissed as not as serious a loss as a stillbirth. I will explore three practical issues: grief and bereavement following pregnancy loss; legal framework regarding funerary arrangements; and existing third sector support for the bereaved and those around them.