An Act To Require a Birth Certificate for a Stillborn Child

Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §2770  is enacted to read:

§ 2770.  Birth certificate for stillbirth

In addition to the requirements of section 2841, the State Registrar of Vital Statistics shall establish a certificate of birth for a stillborn child. For purposes of this section, "stillborn child" means a fetus of 20 or more weeks of gestation that dies in the uterus or during labor and delivery.

SUMMARY

This bill creates a certificate of birth for a stillborn child. It requires that the certificate be prepared and filed in accordance with the requirements for certificates filed to register live births and that the certificate be offered to the parents, who may choose to include a name for the stillborn child on the certificate. It requires the certificate to be filed within 3 days of the stillbirth and prior to cremation or removal of the stillborn child from the place of the stillbirth. If a certificate has not been registered within a year of the stillbirth, it still may be filed but must be marked "Delayed Registration of Stillbirth" and registered in accordance with the requirements for the delayed registration of a certificate for live birth.