An Act To Require a Birth Certificate for a Stillborn Child
Maine Legislature, Session 124, LD 0361
Committee: Health and Human Services
Sponsors: SULLIV AN, PERRY, CRAVEN, CAMPBELL, CONNOR

MAINE STATE LEGISLATURE 
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124th MAl E LEGISLATURE 
Legislative Document 
No. 361 
S.P. 125 
In Senate, February 5, 2009 
An Act To Require a Birth Certificate for a Stillborn Child 
Reference to the Committee on Health and Human Services suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Senator SULLIV AN of Yark. 
Cosponsored by Representative PERRY of Calais and 
9t8(J~ 
JOYJ. O'BRIEN 
Secretary of the Senate 
Senator: CRAVEN of Androscoggin, Representatives: CAMPBELL of Newfield, CONNOR of 
Kennebunk. 
Printed on recycled pDper 
Be it enacted by the People ofthe State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 22 MRS A §2770 is enacted to read: 
§2770. Birth certificate for stillbirth 
In addition to the requirements of section 2841, the State Registrar of Vital Statistics 
shall establish a certificate of birth for a stillborn child. For purposes of this section, 
"stillborn child" means a fetus of 20 or more weeks of gestation that dies in the uterus or 
during labor and delivery. 
1. 
Certificate preparation and filing. 
The certificate must meet all of the 
requirements of section 2761. The certificate must be offered to the parent or parents of 
the stillborn child, who may choose to include a name for the stillborn child on the 
certificate. The certificate must be filed with the State Registrar of Vital Statistics or with 
the clerk of the municipality in which the stillbirth occurred, pursuant to section 2761, 
within 3 days following the stillbirth and prior to cremation or removal of the stillborn 
child from the place of the stillbirth. 
2. Delayed registration of certificate. If a birth certificate for a stillborn child has 
not been registered within one year of the stillbirth, the certificate may be filed but must 
be marked "Delayed Registration of Stillbirth" and registered in accordance with the 
delayed registration process described in section 2764. 
SUMMARY 
This bill creates a certificate of birth for a stillborn child. 
It requires that the 
certificate be prepared and filed in accordance with the requirements for certificates filed 
to register live births and that the certificate be offered to the parents, who may choose to 
include a name for the stillborn child on the certificate. It requires the certificate to be 
filed within 3 days of the stillbirth and prior to cremation or removal of the stillborn child 
from the place of the stillbirth. If a certificate has not been registered within a year of the 
stillbirth, it still may be filed but must be marked "Delayed Registration of Stillbirth" and 
registered in accordance with the requirements for the delayed registration of a certificate 
for live birth. 
Page I - 124LR027S(OI)-1 
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