Perinatal Loss: An Assessment of Policies to Adopt for Active-Duty Marines who Experience Perinatal Loss

Abstract

Perinatal loss can be an extremely significant event for those who experience it. Miscarriage and stillbirth are more common than generally understood, and military members are no exception to these potential hardships. This thesis explores and identifies the gaps in Marine Corps policy regarding response to active-duty service members who experience perinatal loss by applying aspects of Eugene Bardach’s Eight-Step Method and concepts from the Marine Corps Planning Process (MCPP). It conducts an in-depth review of other services’ policies to produce three potential courses of action (COA) for the Marine Corps to take: the first option is to maintain the status quo, the second is to revise the current Marine Corps policy based on Air Force policy for perinatal loss, and the third is to implement a policy reflecting guidance published by the United States Army. I use three evaluative criteria to assess the COAs: administrative burden, career flexibility, and mission accomplishment. The results indicate that the Marine Corps would benefit most from revising current policies to reflect guidance given by the Air Force. Updating and establishing guidance for Marines who experience perinatal loss will ultimately reduce administrative burdens, increase career flexibility, and support mission accomplishment.