Help for Grieving Parents
One of the most difficult things a young couple can experience
is the death of a baby.
There is a bill in the New York State Legislature that will help some parents deal with this tragedy. It is
A8960, sponsored by Assemblywoman Janele Hyer-Spencer, a Staten Island Democrat. She notes in her justification
for the bill:
Under the Public Health Law, a stillbirth, like any fetal death, "shall be considered as a birth and
as a death." Unlike live births, however, the law says the Health Department "shall not be required" to issue
a birth certificate in the case of a fetal death. As a result, birth certificates are not issued for a
stillbirth. A fetal death certificate, however, is always issued. Many families who have suffered
the agony of a stillbirth want a certificate of the birth they have had (with contractions, labor and
delivery) that resulted in a stillbirth. They feel it would ease their pain and help in their healing process.
This bill would require the Health Department to issue a certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth when
requested by the family.
The recognition of the stillborn’s existence is an important first step in the grieving process for parents
and other family members. This is why so many hospitals have adopted policies that allow the parents to hold
their stillborn child and even dress the stillborn for photographs. A certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth
would allow parents a tangible piece of evidence that acknowledges the life that they have loved and lost.
A8960 cleared the New York State Assembly Health Committee and is awaiting further action in the Assembly
Ways & Means Committee, while the companion bill in the Senate has already been approved. It is time the
full State Assembly does what it can to help alleviate the grief parents of a stillborn child experience.
The Christian Voice In Albany
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