OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Legislation allowing the state to issue birth certificates to the parents of a stillborn child has been signed into law by Gov. Brad Henry.
The legislation by Rep. Dennis Johnson of Duncan would allow a “Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth” to be issued in cases of stillbirth for any child 20 weeks or more into a pregnancy.
Johnson says that in the past, the parents of a stillborn baby simply received a death certificate, which did little to acknowledge the parents’ real loss.
Johnson says he experienced that grief as a grandparent last year and wanted to change the way the state treats parents facing this tragedy.
The new law is retroactive so parents can get a birth certificate for children lost in past years.
