Who are Pennsylvania's MISSing Angels?

They are all the past and future Pennsylvania babies whose birth resulted in or will result in a stillbirth. They are the babies who are not recognized by our state as ever existing.

These babies were anticipated with joy, but sadly their life ended sometime shortly before their birth, but our state of Pennsylvania does not acknowledge that they were even born.

Their parents will tell you that their child died a week, several days, a day, hours or minutes before the birth. Many times the death is first discovered after the onset of labor. And in most of these tragedies, the cause of death is never determined.

They will tell you their child was named months or weeks prior to birth. They had baby Showers and had a nursery all prepared for their baby son or daughter. They will show the ultrasound photos of their baby and talk of the times they watched their son or daughter move or watched the beating heart during the procedures.

They will speak of their deep love and anticipation for this child growing in the mother's uterus, and how they talked, caressed and sang to this little miracle of life.

Then finally while fully aware that their son or daughter is dead, these mothers must go through the pains of full labor, just as all mothers do, but the result is different, they give birth to a silent, still child. While grieving, they then go through the exact same post partum changes as all mothers. Their breasts swell with milk for a baby who is not there, because they still gave birth to an infant, but sadly not a live one. The state is considering possibly providing a "Certificate of Stillbirth" to these parents. This is NOT want they want, this is just a Death Certificate. It signifies to these parents that somehow they were failures because they did not produce a living child.

These babies were born exactly like every other baby. This needs to be recognized by Pennsylvania, just as it is now in 27 of our states, by the passage of a bill for MISSing Angels legislation. This would provide the parents with a precious, special certificate and official record that includes their baby's name, called a "Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth".

My YouTube PA CBRS Video
Pennsylvania We Won't Back Down

The founder of the MISSing Angels Legislation movement is a courageous University of Arizona Professor, Joanne Cacciatore, who had a stillborn daughter, Cheyenne in 1994. In 1996 she started the non-profit MISS Foundation as a support group. She then began the long, difficult but successful process of fighting for legislation to provide this certificate in Arizona. The bill was passed in 2001 making Arizona the first state in the US to have the MISSing Angels law. At this time there are 20 states with this law and 7 more possibly may pass the bill in 2007. The MISSing Angels Legislation is a non-partisan, non-political movement with no agenda. It's only purpose is to acknowledge the the birth of these much anticipated stillbirths.

View this moving MISS Foundation Public Service Announcement about the tragedy and lack of understanding of STILLBIRTH:
You Don't Understand

This is the M.I.S.S. Foundation Official Statement and Position from their website regarding the difference between a CBRS and CoS.

Although they are both worded very similarly, a "Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth" and a "Certificate of Stillbirth" are not the same thing.

Legislators, Policy Analysts, and State Health Departments agree, there is a subtle, yet immense difference in the two.

The M.I.S.S. Foundation believes that all states should record births as births... whether live or still.

Thus, our goal, for those states that offer a "Certificate of Stillbirth", is to legislatively change the certificate to a "Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth" - which we view as a "BIRTH" certificate.

Pennsylvania residents, I ask for your support for the MISSing Angels Legistation. Help Pennsylvania's MISSing Angels!

Click on link below to learn how.

How You Can Help

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March 29, 2010