Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth Bill: March 2008

Monday, March 31, 2008

Next Visit to Capitol - April 21, 2008

(visit postponed due to Passover break at Capitol)

Now that the Bill has officially passed the Senate, we are focusing all of our attention on the Assembly. We have less than 2 months to get our bill to the Floor for a full Assembly vote.

If it doesn't get to the Floor by early June, we will have to wait until January 2009 to start the whole process again.

So we are going to have another "lobby day" in Albany on Monday, April 21st.

When we visited Albany in March, we were able to secure a great group of parents (10 of us). I hope to double that size. The more people that can help, the more results we will see from those efforts.

We'll provide everything - directions, where to meet us, history of the bill, why it is important, suggestions on what to say, which offices to visit, etc. You will be in a group so no one will have to go into an office alone.

Join us even if you don't feel comfortable speaking about the bill - morale support is welcomed. Having 3 or 4 parents enter an Assembly member's office shows them that this is an important bill to the families in New York.

Let me know by Friday, April 11th if you are interested in joining us. Email Paige.

If you have questions on what the day will be like, please email me.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Bill passed the Senate

Great news to report! The bill passed the Senate 58-1 today. Write to your Senator (who is my Senator?) and thank them for their support of the Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth Bill #S186a.

We still have a lot of work before the end of session in June to get the bill to the Assembly floor for a vote.

If you haven't written to your Assembly member yet, use the sample letter on the right [SAMPLE LETTER TO YOUR REPRESENTATIVES]. If you have heard from your Assembly member, let us know. Your information will help us prepare for our next visit to Albany.

Read news article about the Senate vote here.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Stillbirth Symposium - Albany, NY

I confirmed today that we have TWO more Assembly members who have decided to become co-sponsors on the bill: Assemblymembers Jeffries and Young.

I also wanted everyone to know that the New York State Perinatal Association is hosting a statewide symposium to discuss: The Tragedy & Significance of Stillbirth in NYS. It will take place at the Empire State Plaza in Albany, NY on April 21, 2008. The public is welcomed.*(see update below)

Visit New York State Perinatal Association for more information. Registration deadline is April 11th.

*Update 4/10/08: the Symposium is FREE for parents.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

New Sponsors

Looks like our hard work is starting to pay off. We've added 8 more Assemblymembers on as sponsors of the bill! We now have a total of 50 members of the Assembly who stand behind our bill and want their names on it.

Thanks and appreciation go out to Assemblymembers: Boyland, Conte, Crouch, Kolb, Lopez P, Mayersohn, Quinn and Towns.

Check Assembly Bill A8960 to see if your Assemblymember is on our bill. If not, email or call them. Ask them: "Why?"

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Visit to the Capitol

On March 6th, we went to Albany to gather support for our bill. I want to thank Tracy, Kristen, Kristine, Whitney, Craig, Sue and Beth for joining Michelle and myself. They worked hard in memory of all of our children.

We visited many Assembly offices. We left information and asked for their support of our bill. We also used that time to visit the offices who support our bill and ask them to consider becoming a co-sponsor. The more sponsors we are able to secure, the quicker our bill will come to an Assembly floor vote.

We are in the midst of calling those offices we visited and we should start seeing the results of our visit shortly. There is still so much to do. But everytime we get the chance to talk about our experience with stillbirth and the bill with legislators, the closer we get to becoming a state that offers parents a Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

How it Began

My work with the Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth (CBRS) bill started when I was asked to take part in a conference call back on January 29th, 2007 hosted by the MISS Foundation. I listened to valuable information regarding the status of the bill and was asking myself "What can I do?"

I became motivated. I wanted recognition of the birth process I endured for our daughter. So, I sought out parents all over NYS that had suffered the tragedy of a stillbirth and asked for their help. A group of us secured a meeting with Assemblyman Gottfried that March and he agreed to redraft the bill. With his support, we had a new bill and a new Assembly sponsor - Janele Hyer-Spencer.

In June 2007, our bill passed the Senate 59-2 but stalled in the Assembly with the Ways & Means Committee with the end of session.

Now that session has resumed for 2008, I, along with a motivated group of parents in NY, am working diligently for the passage of our bill in the Assembly.

We ask that you contact your Assembly member and use the sample letter to ask for their support. Ask your family, friends, etc to do the same. Your Assembly member wants to hear from you. They won't know the importance of this bill unless you tell them.

Thank you for your support.

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Quick Reference: How Can You Help?

1. Write to Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein.

She was the one assembly member who prevented the bill from being voted on at the end of session in 2009 & 2010.

Write to Weinstein. Tell her to allow the legislative procedure to work as it is suppose to. The CBRS bill deserves to have a vote.

2. Write to Senate Health Chair Thomas Duane. He is in charge of the Senate committee that failed to move this bill in 2009. As a newly appointed Health Chairman (2009), it never made it out of his committee. In 2007 & 2008, the full Senate passed the CBRS bill. Write to Duane. Tell him to move the bill out of his committee.

3. Write to your Senate & Assembly members. Continue to ask your Senate and Assembly members to support the bill. See sample letters below.

4. Ask your family & friends to write letters by forwarding this site:

Many letters, phone calls and emails are needed now to help pass this Bill in the 2010 Legislative session.

Legislators will only know this Bill is important if you let them know it is.

Sample Letter to Senator Thomas Duane

Senator Thomas Duane failed to move the CBRS Bill out of the health committee as Chair, during the 2009 & 2010 Legislative Session. In 2007 & 2008, the full Senate voted and PASSED the bill. His voting record was "NO" and "Excused".

Send an email/letter or call his office ~ ask him to allow the CBRS bill to be voted on in his Health committee.

[SAMPLE LETTER]

Senator Thomas Duane
430 Capital State Building
Albany, NY 12247

Re: Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth Bill [SUPPORT]

Dear Senator Duane,

As a supporter of women, I ask that you support the Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth bill.

The CBRS Bill was redrafted in 2007 by Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, a dedicated supporter of women’s rights. The bill’s language is consistent with current laws and introduces no new language regarding birth and death (NYS public health law already describes a fetal demise as both a birth and a death). It simply gives bereaved parents the option of requesting a CBRS to acknowledge the childbirth they have endured when the unintended fetal demise occurs after 20 weeks’ gestation. The CBRS Bill does not threaten women’s rights in any way; the bill pertains only to stillbirth.

The childbirth endured is not recognized by the state but the death is. NYS requires a Certificate of Fetal Death to be filed and final disposition of a stillborn child’s body while simultaneously refusing to acknowledge the process of childbirth.

There is a lack awareness for this public health crisis and its devasting impact on grieving families. Nearly ten times more babies are stillborn every year than die of SIDS in New York State. Despite this, stillbirth remains where SIDS was 30 years ago – not well understood and lacking research. The CBRS will help increase awareness of this public health crisis and influence allocation of research dollars. Ignore the problem, fail to support the CBRS Bill, and you are contributing to the tragedy of stillbirth.

I urge you to support the CBRS Bill and allow it to come to a vote in the Health committee.

Sincerely,

NAME
Address & Phone

Sample Letter to send to your Representatives

Who is your Senate & Assembly member?

Contact them now. Ask them to support the Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth (CBRS) Bill. Your representatives need to hear from you. They want to hear from you on this issue.

[SAMPLE LETTER]

Name of Representative

Legislative Office Building

Albany, NY 12248

Re: Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth Bill [SUPPORT]

Dear _____:

I am writing to ask for your support of the Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth Bill (Hyer-Spencer). This legislation would allow parents whose children are stillborn the option to receive a Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth to acknowledge the birth process.

Your support of this legislation will send a message of hope and compassion to bereaved parents who suffer the devastation of a stillbirth.

[Include personal story, if you choose to]

Nearly 30,000 babies are stillborn in the US every year, making it the leading cause of infant death. In half of all cases there is no medically discernible reason, causing many to liken it to an intrauterine SIDS. In fact, stillbirth kills more than tens times as many babies as SIDS every year.

Approximately 2,000 babies are stillborn in New York State annually, and for every stillborn a minimum of 10-20 people are affected. Thus, this issue impacts 20,000 - 50,000 individuals every year in New York State.

These certificates will bring much needed attention to this issue and may be instrumental in uncovering stillbirth's mysteries, thereby saving precious lives. You have the opportunity to enact legislation that has the potential to save lives and has zero cost implications.

Your community trust you to represent it. I urge your enthusiastic support of the Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth bill and will be following it closely.

Respectfully,

NAME Address & Phone

Why the CBRS Bill is important

In New York, if you have a stillbirth there is no acknowledgement of the birth process. Fetal death certificates are filed but not issued to the parents unless requested.

This legislation would allow parents whose children are stillborn the option to receive a Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth to acknowledge the birth process.

Nearly 30,000 babies are stillborn in the US every year, making it the leading cause of infant death. In NYS, the number of deaths is reaching 2000. These certificates will bring much needed attention to this public health crisis.

We, Still Parents NY, are working to pass the Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth (CBRS) bill to honor the birth process for our families and the families listed.