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by W. John Walsh

A visitor asked me about the possibility of her miscarried child being resurrection.  Here is my response:

Elder Bruce R. McConkie states:

"These are matters not clearly answered in the revelation so far available for the guidance of the saints in this dispensation." (Mormon Doctrine, p.768)

Therefore, until we receive further revelation upon this subject, we are left with personal speculation. Several leaders of the Church have taught that stillborn children will be resurrected and raised by their parents in the eternal worlds. I have not been able to find any references where Church leaders specifically addressed miscarriages. However, please note that the same reasoning used to suggest resurrection for stillborn children can also be used for miscarriages.

A soul is the united entity of the spirit with the physical body. Several leaders have taught that the spirit enters the body before birth. Once the spirit enters the body, the baby becomes a living soul. All living souls, including the earth itself (D/C 88:26), will be resurrected.

Therefore, it appears that if the spirit entered the body before the miscarriage, then there will be a resurrection. But if the miscarriage occurred before the spirit arrived, there will be no resurrection. President Brigham Young taught that "when the mother feels life come to her infant it is the spirit entering the body" (JD 17:143). Therefore, it would appear that the only ones to know if a particular miscarried child will be resurrected are the child's mother and her Heavenly Father.

My wife and I recently experienced a miscarriage and I am aware of the many feelings involved with this issue. May I suggest that you counsel with your Heavenly Father about this matter. I know that he can ease your mind and fill you with peace. Whether there will be a resurrection or not, I know that the Lord only gives us these experiences to teach us what we need to know to return home to him. (See Stillborn Children; Prayer).

[See also Salvation of the Dead; Basic Beliefs home page; Teachings About the Family home page; Teachings About Children home page.]