03/16/2009 08:00 AM House JUDICIARY

HB 2 - BIRTH CERTIFICATE FOR STILLBIRTH                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
8:03:29 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR RAMRAS announced that the  first order of business would be                                                               
HOUSE  BILL  NO.  2,  "An  Act relating  to  the  issuance  of  a                                                               
certificate of  birth resulting  in a  stillbirth."   [Before the                                                               
committee was CSHB 2(HSS).]                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
8:03:55 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SANDRA  WILSON, Staff,  Representative Carl  Gatto, Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature, explained that HB 2  is intended to bring closure to                                                               
parents grieving over the loss  of a stillborn child by providing                                                               
them with the  option of obtaining a birth  certificate for their                                                               
stillborn child,  thereby validating their loss.   Currently, she                                                               
relayed, 26 states  offer such an option, and 7  other states are                                                               
considering legislation similar to HB 2.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GATTO, speaking as the  sponsor of HB 2, mentioned                                                               
that back when the sponsor  statement was written, only 25 states                                                               
offered such an option.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  RAMRAS noted  that during  the  Twenty-Fifth Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature, legislation similar to HB  2 passed out of the House                                                               
Judiciary Standing Committee.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE LYNN  asked whether  HB 2  differs from  that past                                                               
legislation.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS.  WILSON said  that  [CSHB  2(HSS)] no  longer  uses the  term                                                               
"stillborn";   only  uses   the  term   "stillbirth";  and   uses                                                               
definitions already in statute.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GATTO characterized the  issuance of a certificate                                                               
of birth resulting in stillbirth as a gift to grieving parents.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
8:06:15 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MICHELLE HOYT relayed that she  gave birth to her daughter, Haley                                                               
Inez (ph), on March 30, 2004,  and that although her daughter was                                                               
born dead, she still had to  go through the birthing process, and                                                               
do   so  while   also   going  through   the  grieving   process;                                                               
unfortunately,  the   State  would  only  acknowledge   that  her                                                               
daughter died  on that  day, and  not that she  was also  born on                                                               
that day.  "How can you  have a death certificate without a birth                                                               
certificate?" she asked, pointing out  that she had to experience                                                               
the  birthing  process,  her milk  drying  up,  pregnancy-related                                                               
weight  gain,  depression, going  home  without  a child,  making                                                               
funeral  arraignments, and  paying  all the  same hospital  bills                                                               
associated  with having  a child.    She asked  the committee  to                                                               
support HB  2 in  order that  it may help  bring closure  to many                                                               
grieving  parents  by having  the  State  acknowledge that  their                                                               
stillborn  children  were actually  born,  that  they were  human                                                               
beings  brought into  the  world just  like  all other  children;                                                               
regardless  that such  grieving will  never truly  end, at  least                                                               
parents will  have what she  characterized as a  "positive" piece                                                               
of paper about their lost children.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  RAMRAS, after  ascertaining  that no  one  else wished  to                                                               
testify, closed public testimony on HB 2.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
8:07:41 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  DAHLSTROM moved  to report  [CSHB 2(HSS)]  out of                                                               
committee  with individual  recommendations and  the accompanying                                                               
fiscal  notes.    There  being  no  objection,  CSHB  2(HSS)  was                                                               
reported from committee.