An Act Regarding Registration of Fetal Deaths
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §2841, first ¶, as corrected by RR 2009, c. 2, §54, is amended to read:
Except as authorized by the department or as required under section 1596, a certificate of each death of a fetus of 20 or more weeks of gestation which that occurs in this State must be filed with the State Registrar of Vital Statistics or the clerk of the municipality where the delivery occurred within 14 days after delivery and prior to removal of the fetus from the State.
Sec. 2. 22 MRSA §2841, sub-§4 is enacted to read:
4. Certificate from hospital or institution. When the fetal death occurs in a hospital or an institution, the person in charge of the hospital or institution or the person authorized to obtain the medical data shall prepare the certificate, certify by signature or by electronic process that the fetal death occurred at the place and time and on the date stated and file the certificate as directed in this section. The physician or other person in attendance shall provide the medical information required on the certificate in a timely fashion, as specified by department rule.
Effective 90 days following adjournment of the 126th Legislature, First Regular Session, unless otherwise indicated.