HI SR62

Request the Department of Health to issue certificates of stillbirth to parents upon request when a fetal death certificate is filed in Hawaii.

Direct the Department of Health to assess the feasibility of implementing a certificates of stillbirth program in the state.

Require the Department of Health to submit a report with findings, recommendations, and proposed legislation to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the 2023 Regular Session convenes.

Recognize that stillbirth affects approximately one in 160 births nationally with about 24,000 stillbirths annually in the United States, and that bereaved parents have higher rates of depression, anxiety, and PTSD compared to parents with live births.

Note that six states (Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, New York, Oregon, and Pennsylvania) already issue certificates of stillbirth to acknowledge and honor the existence and life of stillborn children.