05/10/2007 09:00 AM Senate STATE AFFAIRS

             CSHB 159(JUD) - STILLBIRTH CERTIFICATE                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:29:24 AM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR MCGUIRE announced consideration of CSHB 159(JUD).                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GATTO, Alaska  State  Legislature, bill  sponsor,                                                               
introduced  CSHB 159(JUD)  to  the committee.  He  said the  bill                                                               
would help grieving parents of  stillborn children by providing a                                                               
certificate  acknowledging  their  birth. Existing  law  provides                                                               
only for  the issuance  of a  death certificate  when a  child is                                                               
stillborn.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
9:30:41 AM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  MCGUIRE  said  she understood  the  certificate  would  be                                                               
optional for families.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GATTO  said every  bit of  recognition may  help a                                                               
family's grieving process.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MCGUIRE acknowledged  that losing a child in this  way is a                                                               
very traumatic event.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GATTO   said  this   bill  does  not   allow  the                                                               
certificate  to  be  utilized  for  permanent  fund  dividend  or                                                               
inheritance purposes.  He researched other states  procedures and                                                               
thinks   this  certificate   would   qualify   as  "a   five-star                                                               
certificate."                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MCGUIRE called an at ease at 9:32 AM.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
9:33:34 AM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR MCGUIRE called the meeting back to order.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
RHONDA  CRAWFORD, representing  herself,  testified  in favor  of                                                               
CSHB 159(JUD). In October she lost  her daughter as a result of a                                                               
stillbirth.  At  the  hospital  she  was asked  to  fill  out  an                                                               
application for  a birth  certificate and then  was told  she was                                                               
given the wrong form; paperwork  for a death certificate was what                                                               
was  needed. It  was a  devastating  experience for  her and  her                                                               
family.  She  said  leaving  the   hospital  with  a  certificate                                                               
acknowledging the  existence of the  child would mean so  much to                                                               
families who suffer this kind of loss.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
9:37:08 AM                                                                                                                    
JOANNE CACCIATORE,  MSW and CEO  of the MISS  Foundation, Peoria,                                                               
Arizona, testified  in favor  of CSHB  159(JUD). She  said giving                                                               
birth to  a dead  baby is an  unbelievably painful  and traumatic                                                               
experience. Several  years ago Ms.  Cacciatore personally  lost a                                                               
child to stillbirth.   Currently she is a  PhD candidate focusing                                                               
her  research  on  women  and   families  that  have  experienced                                                               
stillbirths.  She  is  also  the  CEO and  founder  of  the  MISS                                                               
Foundation providing  services to families  when a child  dies at                                                               
any  age and  from any  cause. Her  home state  of Arizona  first                                                               
passed similar  legislation in 2001.  Since then nearly  20 other                                                               
states have enacted legislation addressing this issue.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MS. CACCIATORE said  one in one hundred  families will experience                                                               
the death of  a baby because of stillbirth.  States tell families                                                               
they must have a death  certificate and pay for final disposition                                                               
through cremation  or burial for  a baby they never  say existed.                                                               
She said these  women gave birth just like every  other woman and                                                               
invest  emotionally, physically,  and  financially  in the  baby.                                                               
Many  countries  issue birth  certificates  for  babies that  are                                                               
stillborn,  but it  is  still  a fairly  recent  movement in  the                                                               
United States.  A birth certificate  would offer women  and their                                                               
families a  philosophical and psychological piece  of comfort and                                                               
dignity.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
9:41:09 AM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  MCGUIRE  thanked  Ms.  Crawford  and  Ms.  Cacciatore  for                                                               
sharing their  stories. She said  it was important for  the state                                                               
to do  whatever was  possible to make  this process  less painful                                                               
for families.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MCGUIRE closed public testimony on HB 159.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
9:42:18 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  GREEN  moved  to  report  HB  159  from  committee  with                                                               
individual recommendations and attached  fiscal note. There being                                                               
no objection, CSHB  159(JUD) moved from the  Senate State Affairs                                                               
Committee.