http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Stillborn-Rights/More details from petition creatorAs the law stands now all stillborn babies born before 24 weeks gestation do not have any birth rights. They are not even recognized as being stillborn. As a recently bereaved mother to a baby boy born at 23 weeks and 4 days gestation I feel this is very wrong. I feel all babies and their parents should have the right to have their babys birth recognized by law. So they have the same birth rights as babies born as babies born after 24 weeks gestation.
The Governments response.http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page17265The Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953, as amended, provides for the registration of babies born dead after 24 weeks’ gestation (the legal age of viability). A certificate of registration and a certificate for burial or cremation are issued. Parliament supported a change to the stillbirth definition from “after 28 weeks” to “after 24 weeks” in 1992, following a clear consensus from the medical profession at that time that the age at which a foetus should be considered viable should be changed from 28 to 24 weeks.
The British Association of Perinatal Medicine, the British Medical Association, the Royal College of Nursing, the Faculty for Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists recently issued a statement confirming that in their view, the earliest time a foetus could be considered viable continues to be 24 weeks’ gestation and above. As the position has not changed, the Government has no plans to amend the stillbirth definition.
We are aware that some parents find it very distressing that they cannot legally register the birth of a baby born before 24 weeks who did not breathe or show any signs of life. However, it is important to recognise there would also be parents distressed at the possibility of having to do so. We do appreciate that forms and certificates are often greatly valued by parents. The Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society’s Guidelines Pregnancy loss and the death of a baby - guidelines for professionals suggest that hospitals offer a certificate of birth to the parents to create a memory of their baby. The guidelines also provide advice for professionals on providing documentation for parents who wish to make their own funeral arrangements for their baby.