I need a few answers, please!

[crazyage3]

I was wondering if a person is going to have a miscarriage or is carrying a dead embryo or fetus, is it wrong to have a D&C ?
Also, what are options for an ectopic pregnancy? What do they do for that poor baby that implanted itself outside of the uterus?
If anyone has any answers , great!
adrienne

 

[crazyage3]

Anything would help…i’ve been pondering this for the last hour!

 

[DAWNCUROLE]

I am not expert but a D&C to clear a dead fetus or embryo is a medical procedure to insure the health the mother and to prevent infection and complications that if left on untreated could put the mother’s life in danger and could prevent problems getting pregnant later on. As far as an etopic pregnancy I believe that the mother’s life is endanger if left untreated and I “believe” but an not 100% certain that a there is no way for the child to live or grow outside of the uterus.

 

[George2]

Don’t quote me but consult with your local priest or diocese for the Church’s answer.

Here is what I think they will say:

1. removing a dead fetus or embryo is a legitimate medical procedure. Abortion is the intentional (procured) taking of a human life and it is never, under any circumstances morally licit.
2. Children living in an ectopic pregnancy must be given all possible medical means for survival. If they die as the result of an unintended effect (ie. exposure in an incubator/underweight, etc.) that IS NOT an abortion and thus, under the principle of “double effect” a morally licit action.

2.1. in essence, doing all we can for tragic pregnancies that have little hope is the right thing to do as we have no right to kill what God has made.

Sorry, best I can do. www.vatican.va has the catechism and I think it has an index search. www.ewtn.com has a faith and morals Q and A section which has Catholic experts. You can email your questions in or see their answers.

I apologize for my ignorance. I should know more about this by my age.

 

[Spatulate]

It is not “wrong” to have a surgical D & C…it is completely up to the woman, her spouse, and the doctor. Some moms prefer to let the baby miscarry without intervention, others wish to have the surgery.

With our sixth pregnancy, baby Tess died at 8 weeks, we found out at 12 weeks, and I waited four more weeks to fully miscarry. I did this because I had read/heard that having a D&C could impair future fertility. Well, we were out camping and as I stood up at the campfire, I hemorrhaged. Went to the ER, doc removed some clots, and that was thought to be it. A week later, I passed more clots, at which point, the doc suggested the surgery. I had already lost so much blood, and could not handle another potential hemmorhage without needing a transfusion. So, we decided I would have the surgical D&C, but!

Before I had the operation, I wrote a letter to all my caregivers, telling them this baby was beloved, anticipated, and precious, that I was not just having “tissue removed,” that I was a pro-life Catholic, etc.
I requested only a spinal, no sedation, nothing which would put me to sleep. I wanted to be fully alert and aware as baby was removed. I asked them to explain each thing the doc did as he did it.

Most importantly, we requested baby’s remains. Initially the hospital was resistant to releasing the remains, but relented soon enough. I picked up baby’s remains in the lab and took them right to the funeral home where she was cremated.
Hope this answers your questions.
Oh, if I had to do it over again, I would have had the surgery sooner…it was emotionally wrenching to lose the baby to begin with, and waiting all that time for her to miscarry naturally really dragged out the process and our grieving. And, as for the surgery impairing fertility, I was pregnant within two months, and that child arrived healthy and well.

 

[1ke]

crazyage3:

I was wondering if a person is going to have a miscarriage or is carrying a dead embryo or fetus, is it wrong to have a D&C ?
Also, what are options for an ectopic pregnancy? What do they do for that poor baby that implanted itself outside of the uterus?
If anyone has any answers , great!
adrienne

A D&C is not wrong, but caution must be taken to ensure that the baby has died. A natural miscarriage should occur, but if it doesn’t a D&C is necessary to prevent infection.

For ectopic pregnancies, the moral treatment would be removal of the damaged fallopian tube, with the unintended consequence of the baby dieing. However, it is important for people to know that these days the moral alternative is not used as frequently as is a chemical abortion-- the doctor gives the woman some pills and they induce a chemical abortion of the baby. The reason they do this is that it is less invasive and saves the tube. However, it is not morally acceptable for a Catholic to do this procedure. So, a Catholic facing an ectopic pregnancy needs to be educated in the methods of treatment and insist that their doctor use only a morally acceptable treatment.

 

[crazyage3]

thank you ann for your story…I’m sorry about your loss…how did you know your baby was a girl? My husband and I had lost our first baby. They said it was a blighted ovum. I too waited for it to happen natural. It hurt but i feel much better now…Thank you to the other poster for letting me know a woman’s option with an ectopic pregnancy. I feel much better it, Just because the mother’s life is in danger doesnt mean the only option for her to survive is killing the baby.