Relates to prohibiting charges for the issuance of a certificate of still birth or fetal death

• Democratic17
• Republican17

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Nathalia Fernandez says this is needed

A certificate of still birth is a document that no parent ever desires to receive, yet this piece of paper provides grieving parents with some degree of remembrance of their child. Certificates of still birth and pregnancy loss are issued by a respective state's office of vital records, according to the Star Legacy Foundation, and the Foundation notes that prior to certificates of still birth and pregnancy loss existing, stillborn babies did not receive any recognition of life. On March 21, 2012, Chapter 552 of 2011 went into effect which required the issuance of certificates of still birth to New York parents. The justification for this law read, in part, "Many families who have suffered the agony of a stillbirth want a certificate acknowledging the process, with contractions, labor and delivery, that resulted in a stillbirth. They feel it would ease their pain and help in their healing process." Chapter 552 of 2011 provides that the registrar may charge a fee for issuing a certificate of still birth that is equal to the fee for a certificate of birth or a certificate of death, but there is no require- ment that a mandatory fee be paid to obtain a certificate of still birth. Currently, it costs $30 to acquire a certificate of still birth from the New York State Department of Health, per copy. While the initial copy of a pregnancy loss certificate is free additional copies of this certif- icate cost $30 each. These fees may seem inexpensive but it is important to remember why these certificates exist, to ease the pain of parents and help families in the healing process. Prohibiting any fees from being charged for a certificate of still birth and a certificate of pregnancy loss guaran- tees that no financial barrier will exist for New Yorkers to obtain these invaluable certificates.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.