The case that I am working on with at my internship has made national news in South Africa. It is about the dignity of the unborn child and a mother’s choice to exercise a right to bury her child. When women in South Africa have a miscarriage or their baby is stillborn before reaching 26 weeks, they are not allowed to bury their child if they so choose. Under the law, the child is considered medical waste, regardless of how close to 26 they are developed. The mother is simply left with devastation and no way to get closure.
Understanding that everyone grieves differently, some mothers may want the option to bury their child with dignity. I work with an organization that seeks to give mothers that option, even if the mother loses the child before 26 weeks. I believe that this is a solution that both pro-life and pro-choice supporters can endorse. It is about both the mother’s right to choose and the life of the unborn child. I hope that these women would be afforded the opportunity to tell the medical community that her child’s remains are not medical waste. It is only right. For more details on this issue, see this news article: http://www.sabc.co.za/news/a/74c8be004077635e87f1bf3dc627042a/Efforts-being-made-to-amend-law-regarding-stillborn,-miscarried-babies.
This post was written by Center for Global Justice student intern Gloria Dandridge. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice.
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