Source: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/s7863
Timestamp: 2020-03-31 13:38:12
Document Index: 129936748

Matched Legal Cases: ['§4160', '§ 4160', '§  2', '§ 4162', '§ 3', '§  4200', '§ 4']

NY State Senate Bill S7863
senate Bill S7863
Relates to the disposition of fetal remains
Get Status Alerts for S7863
Mar 05, 2018 referred to health
S7863 (ACTIVE) - Details
Amd §§4160, 4162, 4200 & 1389-dd, Pub Health L
S1156, A6613
S7863 (ACTIVE) - Summary
Relates to the disposition of fetal remains.
S7863 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo
BILL NUMBER: S7863
the disposition of fetal remains
To allow the mother who has suffered a spontaneous miscarriage of her
pregnancy to a) be notified of her right to access the fetal death
report, and b) obtain a burial permit in order to facilitate a proper
burial, cremation or other dignified disposition of fetal remains.
Section 1 amends Title 5 of Article 41 of the public health law regard-
ing registration of fetal deaths to ensure that a physician or hospital
representative informs the mother who has miscarried of her right to
access the report of fetal death and to direct proper burial and dispo-
sition of remains. It further directs the state health commissioner with
establishing regulations and allows the department to conduct education
programs about the law.
Section 2 also amends Title 5 of Article 41 of the public health law,
section 4162 to make clear that fetal remains resulting from a spontane-
ous fetal death shall be released to the mother upon her request, and
that the mother or funeral director may access the fetal death report in
order to obtain the permit for removal, transportation and burial or
other proper disposition.
Section 3 amends Title 1 of Article 42 of the public health law to
restate, under the duty of burial for human cadavers, that fetal remains
resulting from a spontaneous fetal death must be released to the mother
upon her request, and that all costs associated with the burial, entomb-
ment or cremation of fetal remains shall be borne by the mother.
Section 4 amends Title 13 of Article 13 of the public health law to
ensure that burial, entombment or cremation of fetal remains from a
spontaneous fetal death, at the request of the mother, is a legal option
for treatment and disposal of regulated medical waste.
Under current New York State Public Health Law, a burial permit and
proper disposition is only required for the remains of fetal deaths
occurring at 20 weeks gestation or greater. The law is silent on the
remains of fetal deaths occurring under 20 weeks' gestation. When a
fetal death occurs under 20 weeks' gestation as a result of an induced
abortion, the remains are usually incinerated or transported and
disposed of as regulated medical waste. But when a fetal death occurs
under 20 weeks' gestation as a result of a spontaneous miscarriage of
pregnancy, the mother has no affirmative statutory right to be informed
of her right to properly dispose of her baby's remains. This denies
parents the ability to grieve for their lost loved one and to provide a
dignified and respectful burial, entombment or cremation of their
child's remains if this is what they choose. This legislation would give
families this statutory right.
None to the state. Financial burden would fall to the mother who chooses
to properly dispose of her baby's remains.
S7863 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf
Section  1. Section 4160 of the public health law, as amended by chap-
ter 436 of the laws of 1967, subdivision 2 as amended and subdivisions 4
and 5 as added by chapter 809 of the laws of 1987 and subdivision  3  as
amended  by  chapter  552  of  the  laws  of 2011, is amended to read as
§ 4160. Fetal deaths; registration. 1. Fetal death is defined as death
prior to the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a prod-
uct of conception; the death is indicated by the fact  that  after  such
separation,  the  fetus  does  not breathe or show any other evidence of
life such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical  cord,  or
2.  A  fetal  death shall be registered within seventy-two hours after
expulsion of [such fetus] A FETUS OF  ANY  GESTATIONAL  AGE,  by  filing
directly with the commissioner a certificate of such death. In addition,
a  report  of  fetal  death  shall  be  reported to the registrar in the
district in which the fetal death occurred.
3. IN THE CASE OF A SPONTANEOUS FETAL DEATH AT  ANY  GESTATIONAL  AGE,
THE  ATTENDING  PHYSICIAN  OR  A PERSON DESIGNATED BY THE HOSPITAL SHALL
ENSURE THAT THE MOTHER OF THE FETUS IS INFORMED OF HER RIGHT  TO  ACCESS
THE  REPORT  OF  FETAL  DEATH AND TO DIRECT EITHER BURIAL, ENTOMBMENT OR
CREMATION OF THE FETAL REMAINS.
4. For the purposes of this article, a fetal death shall be considered
as a birth and as a death except that, for a fetal death, separate birth
and death  certificates  shall  not  be  required  to  be  prepared  and
recorded,  except  as  provided  in section forty-one hundred sixty-a of
[4.] 5. Local registrars of each district in which fetal death certif-
icates were filed prior to the effective date of this subdivision  shall
LBD14971-01-8
S. 7863                             2
dispose of such certificates in the manner prescribed by the commission-
[5.]  6.  Notwithstanding  any  other  provision  of this chapter, the
disclosure of information filed pursuant to this section shall be limit-
ed to the mother, her lawful representative and to authorized  personnel
§  2. Section 4162 of the public health law, as amended by chapter 809
§ 4162. Fetal deaths; burial and removal; permits.   1.   THE  REMAINS
RESULTING FROM A SPONTANEOUS FETAL DEATH AT ANY GESTATIONAL AGE SHALL BE
RELEASED  TO THE MOTHER OF THE FETUS UPON REQUEST AND UPON ISSUANCE OF A
PERMIT PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION THREE OF THIS SECTION.
2. A permit shall be required for the removal, transportation,  burial
or other disposition of remains resulting from a fetal death, other than
fetal tissue, hydatidiform mole or other evidence of pregnancy recovered
by  curettage or operative procedures or other products of conception of
under twenty weeks uterogestation.
[2.] 3. Such permit shall be issued by  the  local  registrar  of  the
district  in  which  the  fetal  death occurred upon presentation by the
funeral director OR THE MOTHER OF THE FETUS of a report of fetal  death,
on  the form prescribed by the commissioner. The issuance of such permit
shall be subject to the provisions of title IV of this article.
4. THE PHYSICIAN OR A PERSON DESIGNATED BY  A  HOSPITAL  SHALL  ENSURE
THAT  THE  MOTHER  OF  THE  FETUS IS INFORMED BOTH ORALLY AND IN WRITING
ABOUT HER RIGHT TO ACCESS THE REPORT OF FETAL DEATH AND TO DIRECT EITHER
BURIAL, ENTOMBMENT OR CREMATION OF THE FETAL REMAINS.
§ 3. Section 4200 of the public health  law  is  amended  to  read  as
§  4200.  Cadavers;  duty of burial. 1. Except in the cases in which a
right to dissect it is expressly conferred  by  law,  every  body  of  a
deceased person, within this state, shall be decently buried or inciner-
ated within a reasonable time after death.
2.  THE REMAINS RESULTING FROM A SPONTANEOUS FETAL DEATH AT ANY GESTA-
TIONAL AGE SHALL BE RELEASED TO THE MOTHER OF THE FETUS UPON REQUEST, IN
ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION FORTY-ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-TWO OF THIS CHAPTER. ANY
COSTS  ASSOCIATED  WITH  THE RELEASE, BURIAL, ENTOMBMENT OR CREMATION OF
THESE FETAL REMAINS SHALL BE BORNE BY THE MOTHER.
3. The provisions of this section shall not impair the right to  carry
the body of a deceased person through this state, or to remove from this
state  the  body  of a person who has died within it, for the purpose of
burying the same elsewhere.
§ 4. Subdivision 1 of section 1389-dd of  the  public  health  law  is
(E)  IN THE CASE OF REMAINS RESULTING FROM SPONTANEOUS FETAL DEATH, BY
BURIAL, ENTOMBMENT OR CREMATION AT THE REQUEST OF THE  MOTHER,  PURSUANT
TO SECTION FORTY-ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-TWO OF THIS CHAPTER.
shall  establish all necessary rules and regulations, and the department
may conduct education and outreach programs, to effect  the  purpose  of