Stillbirth certificate bill proposed

JUNEAU -- Advocates for mothers who mourn the loss of a stillborn baby are urging lawmakers to pass a bill that would allow the state to issue stillborn certificates.

Currently, the state only issues death certificates for stillbirths.

The bill, proposed by Rep. Carl Gatto, R-Palmer, would require the state to advise the mother and father of the option to request a stillbirth certificate through the Bureau of Vital Statistics.

The baby's vital information would be taken from the fetal death certificate, which is issued for any baby born still at 20 weeks or more.

If it passes, the bill would put Alaska in line with 18 other states that have passed similar bills. Eight more states are considering such legislation.

"These bills are winning because people recognize that these women are hurting," said Daryl Logollo, a spokesman for the MISS Foundation, a support group for families who have had a child die either as a stillborn or from another cause.

Advocacy groups such as Missing Angels have led the charge across the nation for stillbirth certificate legislation. So far, the movement has seen very little opposition in Alaska. In California, a similar bill has drawn fire from pro-choice groups, who fear stillbirth certificates could fuel the anti-abortion side by acknowledging an unborn fetus is a person.

"This is not a fiscal issue or a pro-choice-versus-life issue," said Richard Olson, a representative of the National Stillbirth Society, a group that seeks to help families who have had a stillborn child. "It's the passionate thing to do."

Gatto's bill is now in the House Finance Committee after passing out of several other committees. Legislators are currently working on wording the bill to allow for retroactive certificates should the proposed legislation become law.