What Does This Document Show?

What does this document show?

This document contains a variety of statements as found in previous proclamations from across Canada and the United States. It is intended to provide you with ideas how a proclamation could be worded. If you request a proclamation, the province/territory or city officials might either send you a previous wording for review or request your suggestion for wording. In both cases this document will give you simple ideas what you may want to include or change.

How should this document be used?

1)Take a look at an actual proclamation which will give you a better idea how these documents are structured, e.g.

2)The statements have been grouped by us into categories they tend to belong to. These categories are NOT part of the official document! You will have to pick 3-5 WHEREAS statements to craft your proclamation wording.

3)Delete the alternative options you don’t plan to use and remove the group headings in [bold].

4)Of course you may wish to include completely new statements as well.

[INTRODUCTION]

WHEREAS Pregnancy and Infant Loss is such a common occurrence, one that is usually not recognized, AND

WHEREAS many <province/territory> parents and families have suffered a miscarriage, a stillbirth or the death of an infant during delivery or shortly after birth, AND

WHEREAS such a terrible loss is often not recognized; AND

[ACKNOWLEDGEMENT]

WHEREAS <province/territory> wishestoacknowledgetheprofoundgriefexperiencedbyfamilieswhosufferthedeathofasmallchild,infantorpre-termbaby;AND

WHEREAS the existence of the babies and infants deserves to be acknowledged, AND

WHEREAS <province/territory> wishes to acknowledge the existence of the babies and infants that died far too early; AND

WHEREAS when a baby dies whether in the womb or after birth, it’s life deserved to be recognized, AND

WHEREAS even the shortest lives are still valuable,and thegrief of those who mourn the loss of these lives shouldnot be trivialized; AND

[FUNDRAISING]

WHEREAS with this proclamation it will enable people to hold a fundraiser, to help raise monies for their local hospital’s maternity ward, and

WHEREAS the monies raised will make memorial boxes, bring in grief support resources and build tranquillity rooms for grieving parents, and

[OTHER PROVINCES]

WHEREAS on the fifteenth day, tenth month of every year, everyone around the world will light a candle at 7pm in remembrance, and

WHEREASthe15thdayofOctoberisrecognizedinpartsofCanada,andinmanyotherjurisdictionsaroundtheworld,asadayofremembranceandawarenessofpregnancyandinfantloss;AND

[COMMUNITY & SUPPORT]

WHEREASthisdevastatingtragedyoftenoccurssuddenly,withoutwarning,asaresultofmiscarriage,stillbirth,SuddenInfantDeathSyndrome(SIDS),accident,orothercausesorcomplications;AND

WHEREASthetragedyofpregnancyandinfantloss, whichexactsaterribleemotionaltoll,maybepreventableinsomeinstances;AND

WHEREASincreasedawarenessofthecausesandimpactssurroundingpregnancyandinfantlossmayleadtogreaterunderstanding,supportandresourcesincommunitiesacrossthe <province/territory>; AND

WHEREASadayofremembrancehonoursthelivesofchildrentakenfartoosoonandsupportsgrievingparents,grandparents,siblingsandotherfamilymemberswhoselivesareforeveralteredbytheheartbreakoflosingachild;

WHEREAS those parents and families require support and understanding during their time of grief, and

WHEREAS promoting awareness of the challenges faced by those parents and families is a positive means of establishing support and understanding, and

WHEREAS recognizing Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness/Remembrance Day would enable the people of Canada to consider how, as individuals and communities, theycan meet the needs of bereaved mothers, fathers, andfamily members, and work to prevent the causes of thesedeaths;