Bill Passed to Allow Recognition of Stillbirths

By Melissa Jewett

Oklahoma parents of stillborn babies are awaiting legislation that will require the state to issue a “certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth,” recognizing the fact that their baby was in fact born.

Currently, stillbirths receive a “certificate of fetal death.”

The legislation called the Missing Angel Bill, will go to the State Senate this week, but according to State Rep. Susan Winchester, (R-Chickasha) it probably will not go into effect until May. The Missing Angel Bill has been passed in 14 states and is being considered in 16 more. Oklahoma, one of the 16 states considering the measure, began working on the bill after Denise Phillips, Oklahoma state director of the National Stillbirth Society, contacted Winchester.

Winchester said that the bill has a lot of support. It passed in the house with no opposition, and she says that people are writing her letters to show their support.

“Getting the support from people really makes me feel excited to be part of this and to know I am helping,” she says.

One specific group that really supports the bill is the Department of Vital Statistics, because currently there is no record of how many stillbirths there are. More information would help lead to medical research and find a cause for stillbirths.

According to the National Stillbirth Society Web site, it is estimated that there are 26,000 stillbirths that occur nationwide every year, but since there are no records the actual numbers are unknown. Passage of the bill will allow for clear definitions and accurate statistics of stillbirths, and it will also fill a void for mothers who go to a hospital and give birth but go home without a child.

 

Last Updated 07/20/2006     Design donated by Web-Writer