Neo-Pagan Rituals for Miscarriage

Rabbi Deborah Reed Banks has said that the ritual response to miscarriage has been a glaring gap in Judaism. Traditional mourning rituals involving a meal of consolation and a limit of daily prayers for mourners have therefore been unavailable to families whose children die before birth. In her rabbinic legal paper, she called for rituals acknowledging she the mother as well as her husband may grieve deeply for this pregnancy, for this child. Although drawing on diverse religious traditions, the repurposed rituals I studied have much in common. All offer public acknowledgment of the unexpected ending of a woman's pregnancy. Grieving couples are acknowledged as parents,. There is recognition of the child as part of their family.