Proposal Seeks Birth Certificates for Stillborns

The Tacoma News Tribune
Debbie Cafazzo
December 11th, 2006

Liz Allen wants to change the way Washington state records the deaths of stillborn infants. Currently, Washington issues only a fetal death certificate for stillborns.
Allen and others around the country who support what they label Missing Angels legislation would like parents to also receive another document, a certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth.
More than a dozen states have passed such legislation.
Proponents say the certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth has several advantages:
· It acknowledges a child's existence in a way a death certificate cannot, providing emotional comfort for parents. It also recognizes that the mother did, indeed, give birth.
· It can make statistical counts of stillbirths more accurate. Statistics can aid medical researchers who are probing the causes of stillbirth.
State Rep. Geoff Simpson, D-Covington, has corresponded with Allen. Simpson said he is interested in introducing a bill that could address Allen's concerns and help parents deal with the tragedy of stillbirth.
Some states offer a commemorative certificate. Others offer a certificate of stillbirth.
But to Allen, the death of a baby is not a commemorative event. And a certificate of stillbirth still fails to acknowledge the birth of the child, Missing Angels proponents say.
"We really feel it's necessary to have a certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth," says Allen. "If we can get a death certificate, I don't understand why we can't get a certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth."
Missing Angels legislation in other states has provoked objections from some abortion-rights advocates.
"This law has absolutely nothing to do with abortion," insists Allen.
She says the law she's proposing for Washington is modeled after one in Texas, which defines stillbirth as unintended intrauterine death.
Simpson says he wants to craft a law that recognizes Allen's concerns "while also making sure we don't infringe on a woman's legal right to control her reproductive future."