Dr. Timothy Millea, president of the St. Thomas Aquinas Guild of the Quad Cities, introduces Dr. Robin Pierucci as the guest speaker following the White Mass at St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Davenport Oct. 17.
By Anne Marie Amacher
The Catholic Messenger
DAVENPORT — “Walking with families who have received a prenatal diagnosis is a privilege,” said Dr. Robin Pierucci. The founder of Navigating Fetal Concerns (NFC) spoke in Denning Hall at St. Paul the Apostle Parish Oct. 17 following the White Mass for medical professionals.
Pierucci, a board certified neonatologist and bioethicist, has worked with high-risk newborn care for decades. After retirement, she founded NFC to offer free services for families navigating a prenatal diagnosis.
She recalled that when she was working as an ob/gyn, she was called in for a prenatal consult. That wasn’t uncommon, she noted. When she walked into the room, the pregnant mother blurted out, “Why does everyone want to kill my baby!” The fetus had been diagnosed with Down syndrome. “That got me thinking,” Pierucci said.
“There is joy in pregnancy. Life gives us hope,” she said. When a prenatal diagnosis is given, parents experience trauma, she said. There is no education. Parents are given negative information and often told to terminate the pregnancy.
Parents become numb and detached. They don’t want to hear any more negativity.
“Women whose fetus has a fetal anomaly is at high risk for depression from diagnosis to well beyond the pregnancy,” she noted.
Pierucci explained that yes, some of those pregnancies will end in a miscarriage or stillbirth. But many can go on and deliver their baby, giving families the opportunity to kiss and hold their child — even if the infant’s life is short.
One of the first things Pierucci asks a family when they contact NFC is, “What have you named your baby?”
She shared several stories of families who sought guidance through NFC. She said the families gave permission to share the stories and photos of their babies.
Xavier was diagnosed with anencephaly, a congenital neural tube defect where the upper part of the brain, skull or scalp does not develop all the way. The family did not want to terminate the pregnancy.
“The family felt joy to be able to see and hold him. He was able to go home and lived five days.”
Thanks to a plan that was made by the family with the help of NFC, the family planned out what steps would be taken after the birth of Xavier. In the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), the father made sure a feeding tube was inserted. “He didn’t want to miss meeting his child.”
Emmy was diagnosed with Trisomy 18, a genetic condition that is caused by an extra copy of chromosome 18. The parents were told to terminate the pregnancy as the fetus was “doomed to die.” Instead, the family turned to NFC and made a palliative care plan for Emmy. She lived 188 days.
Pierucci said not all prenatal diagnoses lead to death in the womb or shortly after. Some infants can live days, months or even years.
For Lydia, Pierucci helped the family come up with three birth plans. “They found hope and love” in their baby. Baby Lydia lived five days.
“The goal of a birth plan is to evaluate, stabilize — not abandonment.” One plan may be prepared for a stillbirth, another for early delivery and another for a birth that occurs near term. The plan also looks at the reality that the baby will pass and to prearrange a funeral. She noted that Trappist caskets are free for infants and small children.
Pierucci said she is not against genetic testing, but there are drawbacks. And most testing during pregnancy is not approved or required by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“But parents are being terrified that their baby is suffering (in utero),” she said. “They are told the bad, but do not take into account the goodness of that child.”
“Be an advocate for your child,” Pierucci said.
She encouraged people to visit fetalconcerns.com to learn more about the free services of NFC.
Before the talk, Bishop Dennis Walsh presided at the White Mass in the church. Father Bruce DeRammelaere, pastor of the parish, concelebrated.
During his homily, the bishop reflected on Dr. Gianna Beretta Molla, who faced a diagnosis that tested her medical judgement and faith. She was diagnosed with a uterine tumor while pregnant with her fourth child.
She knew the medical options, the statistics and the danger. “But she also knew something deeper: the dignity of the human person, even the smallest and the most vulnerable,” he said.
Molla told her husband that if it came down to saving her or their child to “choose the child.”
“She believed her decision was not simply maternal — it was profoundly medical. She believed that the vocation of the physician is always oriented toward life, healing and toward the food of a person entrusted to one’s care,” Bishop Walsh said.
“St. Gianna’s witness is not merely a story from the past. It is a mirror held up to the medical profession today. A profession facing extraordinary technological advances, profound ethical challenges and increasing cultural confusion about the dignity of the human person.”
St. Gianna died a few days after giving birth to her daughter.
The bishop also addressed Artificial Intelligence (AI) in his homily. He said AI is a tool, not a moral agent. It cannot love or accompany. It cannot discern the dignity of the person before them.
“The Catholic physician’s vocation is not threatened by AI. It is clarified by it.” Bishop Walsh said AI may assist in a physician’s work, but “it can never replace the sacramental character of your presence.”
“Your vocation is to protect the vulnerable, advocate for palliative care, to uphold the dignity of natural death and to refuse participation in any act that intentionally ends human life,” he said.
“We are missionaries of mercy. You carry Christ into places of suffering. We must remain rooted in prayer. Your strength must come from the Lord. We are witnesses to the dignity of life,” the bishop said. “In a world confused about life’s values, your fidelity to the Gospel becomes a beacon on truth.”
