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THE WORD “stillborn” expresses the complete tragedy in two syllables. A baby is born, but for whatever reason it does not breathe. In Pennsylvania, the parents are left with their grief but no official birth record. That is about to change, thanks to a new law.
Senate Bill 326 will require the state Health Department, which previously could provide only a fetal death certificate, to issue a birth certificate of sorts upon request of a parent. This “certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth” will include the name of the stillborn child and other details of the delivery.
As the politics of abortion can confound any legislation dealing with births, this measure could have been problematic, but compassion trumped controversy. Mothers who gave birth to stillborn babies urged lawmakers to pass it. Planned Parenthood of Pennsylvania did not oppose it.