Parents of stillborn infants may get aid.

Tax break proposed to help cover funeral expenses, other costs

By Latreecia Wade
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
February 27, 2007

Parents of stillborn infants would be eligible for a tax break under a bill introduced by a state legislator from St. Peters .

House Bill 816, sponsored by Rep. Doug Funderburk, R-12th District, would authorize a $1,200 state income-tax deduction for stillbirths in instances in which a birth certificate was provided. A taxpayer could only claim the exemption within the taxable year in which the stillbirth occurred.

St. Peters Alderman Patrick Barclay, Ward 4, is among those lobbying for passage of the bill. Barclay said he wasn't aware of the issue until his family suffered a stillbirth in March 2004.

"(Stillbirths) do happen," he said. "I think people really don't think about it."

The tax break is intended to help families with funeral expenses and other costs incurred when a child is stillborn. Baue Funeral Home offers a free service to parents of a stillborn child, but Barclay said some funeral homes do not provide such services.

Barclay said the bill helps parents who cannot afford the funeral expenses. Arizona was the first state to offer a tax exemption for stillbirths, Barclay said.

In 2004, then-Missouri Gov. Bob Holden signed legislation allowing birth certificates to be given to families of stillborn infants.

Barclay said the MISS Foundation, a volunteer-based organization that helps families of children who died from any cause, was instrumental in securing passage of the birth certificate legislation.

"If everybody filed for (a birth certificate for a stillbirth) that were eligible, it would (cost the state) about $36,000," Barclay said.

The Web site for the St. Charles-based national office of Share, a nonprofit agency that provides pregnancy and infant loss support, includes a link where people can contact their state representatives about the bill, Barclay said.

Cathi Lammert, executive director of Share, said her agency has received about 3,500 letters from online visitors to Share's Web site - www.nationalshareoffice.com - in support of the bill.

Share also was involved in a joint state initiative that provided the birth certificates to families and bereavement support, Lammert said.

Lammert said people aren't sensitive to stillbirth issues and that only a handful of states have attempted to pass similar bills.

"Some people think that since the baby didn't live, it's not significant," she said. "Not everybody understands what these parents have to go through."

Latreecia Wade can be contacted at lwade@yourjournal.com

The M.I.S.S. Foundation is a nonprofit, 501(c)3, international organization which provides immediate and ongoing support to grieving families, empowerment through community volunteerism opportunities, public policy and legislative education, and programs to reduce infant and toddler death through research and education.