Do miscarried infants go to heaven and [other] women's issues in LDS

Women's Issues in Mormonism

With each religion I have studied, I have made sure to gather information on important issues to women today. I feel like, as a modern woman, I want to know where my religion stands on issues that are important to me, or that have affected me personally. Issues like miscarriage, abortion and women's right to choose, marriage, divorce and remarriage, and sex...

Miscarriage - although the LDS Church does not appear to have an official stance on miscarriage and stillbirth/infant death, it appears that the general concensus is that babies born without the opportunity for life outside the womb will be waiting in eternity for their families to join them after their earthly lives. Stillborn children cannot be baptized or recieve endowment, and obviously they cannot marry, but it seems that most believe they will join their families in eternal life ever-after:

Although temple ordinances are not performed for stillborn children, no loss of eternal blessings or family unity is implied. The family may record the name of a stillborn child on the family group record followed by the word stillborn in parentheses. Memorial or graveside services may or may not be held as determined by the parents.--1989 General Handbook of Instructions (11-6)

Elder Joseph Fielding Smith, quoting President Brigham Young, wrote that “ ‘they are all right,’ … and nothing in the way of sealings or ordinances need be done for them.” (Bruce R. McConkie, comp., Doctrines of Salvation, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1955, 2:281.)

Joseph Smith declared that the mother who laid down her little child, being deprived of the privilege, the joy, and the satisfaction of bringing it up to manhood or womanhood in this world, would, after the resurrection, have all the joy, satisfaction and pleasure, and even more than it would have been possible to have had in mortality, in seeing her child grow to the full measure of the stature of its spirit...when the mother is deprived of the pleasure and joy of rearing her babe to manhood or to womanhood in this life, through the hand of death, that privilege will be renewed to her hereafter, and she will enjoy it to a fuller fruition than it would be possible for her to do here. When she does it there, it will be with the certain knowledge that the results will be without failure; whereas here, the results are unknown until after we have passed the test.
-Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, p.453

Abortion - The Church is very clear on abortion and there is an official stance: Pro-Life. Abortion is unacceptable under ALMOST any circumstance. Latter-day prophets have denounced abortion, referring to the Lord's declaration, “Thou shalt not . . . kill, nor do anything like unto it” (D&C 59:6) (You might recognize the first part of that Doctrine as being one of the Ten Commandments!)

Church leaders have said, however, that some exceptional circumstances may justify an abortion, such as when pregnancy is the result of incest or rape, when the life or health of the mother is judged by competent medical authority to be in serious jeopardy, or when the fetus is known by competent medical authority to have severe defects that will not allow the baby to survive beyond birth.

But even these circumstances do not automatically justify an abortion. Those who face such circumstances should consider abortion only after consulting with their local Church leaders and receiving a confirmation through earnest prayer.

So, is Abortion outlawed or not? Definitely maybe.

Marriage - Ah, THIS is an important topic to Mormons. There are 2 types of marriage: Civil Marriage and Celestial Marriage. Civil Marriage is "until death do us part", but celestial marriage is being sealed in the Temple and gives those wedded the assurance that their relationship will continue forever "if they are true to their covenants." They know that nothing, not even death, can permanently separate them.
The covenant of eternal marriage is necessary for exaltation. The Lord revealed through Joseph Smith:

“In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees; and in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage]; and if he does not, he cannot obtain it. He may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase” (D&C 131:1-4).

(Exaltation = highest level of eternal life. I know, you're thinking, "well, eternal life is eternal life, right?" Not right. Actually, you can have a BETTER eternal life, one where you are actually near the same level as God, in many ways, you ARE like God, but only if you are married. This begs the question of what the official Mormon stance is on Jesus being single/married. There isn't really an "official" stance on it, ((that is available to me)). But the concensus seems to be that Jesus was probably married. The wedding where he turned water into wine could have been his own wedding.)

Re-Marriage - While the Mormon church stands behind the Civil Government in Civil Divorce, it is much more difficult to get a Celestial divorce - a Temple Unsealing. That said, while it is frowned upon, it is done and the church does not prevent it in most cases.

Pre-Marital/Extra-Marital Sex - Unacceptable. However, if you are "burning with lust" as Paul put it, you are encouraged to marry.

This is one of the reasons Joseph Smith cited as a reason for Polygamy in the early days: he would just marry a girl rather than burn with lust for a woman other than his wife.

Same-Sex Marriage - Suffice to say, the Mormons are wholeheartedly united with the Christian Coalition, Dr. James Dobson, Jerry Fallwell, and conservatives everywhere in their opposition to Same-Sex Marriage. Mormon doctrine specifically and unequivocally rejects the marriage or attempted marriage of same-sex couples, although their stance as a church is to show compassion and love to homosexual people:

“We want to help these people, to strengthen them, to assist them with their problems and to help them with their difficulties. But we cannot stand idle if they indulge in immoral activity, if they try to uphold and defend and live in a so-called same-sex marriage situation. To permit such would be to make light of the very serious and sacred foundation of God-sanctioned marriage and its very purpose, the rearing of families” (Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign , Nov. 1998, 71).

It is also interesting to note that the LDS Church was almost singlehandedly responsible for the passing of Proposition 8 in California, denying the rights of gay couples to marry. They funnelled in excess of $20 million dollars to the state of California through their members, in addition to putting more than 40,000 volunteers on the ground to canvas neighborhoods in support of Prop 8.

Later this week, I'll be covering the topics of Women's Rights, Education, Prayer & Church Membership, and whatever else pops into my head. :)

Sources: Doctrine and Covenants, http://lds.org/, The Book of Mormon