(a) Each case of fetal death shall be registered and a fetal death certificate shall be filed with the registrar of vital statistics in the manner required by sections 7-48, 7-51 and 7-52 with respect to the filing, content and issuance of birth certificates. A fetus born after a period of gestation of not less than twenty weeks in which there is no attempt at respiration, no action of heart and no movement of voluntary muscle, shall be recorded as a fetal death. A fetal death certificate shall be signed by a physician or, when no physician was in attendance, by the nurse-midwife in attendance at the birth, the Chief Medical Examiner, Deputy Chief Medical Examiner, an associate medical examiner or an authorized assistant medical examiner.
(b) Such certificate shall include, on a confidential portion of the certificate, any additional information required by the department, provided the information obtained under this section shall be used only for medical and health purposes.
(1949 Rev., S. 581; 1951, 1953, S. 232d; 1969, P.A. 699, S. 19; P.A. 77-614, S. 323, 610; P.A. 79-47, S. 1; 79-434, S. 5; P.A. 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; P.A. 01-163, S. 20; P.A. 03-19, S. 18; P.A. 07-79, S. 2; P.A. 12-197, S. 1.)
History: 1969 act specified chief, deputy and authorized assistant medical examiners as signers of certificate replacing former reference simply to “medical examiner”; P.A. 77-614 substituted department of health services for department of health, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 79-47 replaced deputy medical examiner with deputy chief medical examiner and included associate medical examiner as authorized signer; P.A. 79-434 divided section into Subsecs. and added requirement that additional information be used only for medical and health purposes and is not to be placed in permanent official records; P.A. 93-381 replaced department of health services with department of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 01-163 amended Subsec. (a) by adding reference to Secs. 7-50, 7-51 and 7-52 re content and issuance of birth certificates and amended Subsec. (b) by adding provision re confidential portion of certificate, deleting provision re information shall not be incorporated into permanent records of department and making a technical change; P.A. 03-19 made a technical change in Subsec. (a), effective May 12, 2003; P.A. 07-79 amended Subsec. (a) to allow nurse-midwife in attendance at a birth in which a physician is not present to sign the fetal death certificate for a fetus born dead; P.A. 12-197 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting reference to Sec. 7-50.
Statute does not address fetal autopsies. 46 CS 204.
Structure Connecticut General Statutes
Chapter 93 - Registrars of Vital Statistics
Section 7-39. - Oath of registrars.
Section 7-39a. (Formerly Sec. 45-23). - Record of name of registrar of vital statistics.
Section 7-41. - Regulations re record keeping. Submission of certified copies to department.
Section 7-41a. - Vital statistics records available for genealogical research.
Section 7-43. - Municipal ordinances.
Section 7-45. - Preparation of certificates.
Section 7-46. - Completion of records.
Section 7-48. - Birth certificates: Filing requirements.
Section 7-49. - Failure to file birth certificate.
Section 7-52. - Certification of birth registration.
Section 7-53. - Birth certificates of adopted persons born in this state.
Section 7-55. - Certification of birth to have force and effect of original.
Section 7-56. - Issuance of certified copies of birth certificates.
Section 7-57. - Delayed registration of births.
Section 7-58. - Record of birth of child born outside United States.
Section 7-59. - Report of foundling.
Section 7-60. - Fetal death certificates.
Section 7-61. - Birth and fetal death certificates to state whether blood test has been made.
Section 7-62. - Death certificates.
Section 7-62a. - Illegal issuance of certificates.
Section 7-63. - Notice of deaths at the Connecticut Juvenile Training School.
Section 7-64. - Disposal of bodies.
Section 7-65. - Removal, transit and burial permit. Subregistrars.
Section 7-65a. - Multiple interment in common hospital-supplied container.
Section 7-66. - Duties of sextons. Sextons' reports. Penalty.
Section 7-67. - Applications for and issuance of disinterment permits.
Section 7-68. - Issuance of disinterment or removal permit.
Section 7-69. - Removal of body of deceased person.
Section 7-70. - Temporary removal of body to another town or state. Temporary removal permit.
Section 7-71. - Report of name of sexton.
Section 7-72. - Sextons' reports. Fines.
Section 7-75. - Fees for records relating to inmates of institutions.
Section 7-76. - Fees for records relating to residents of other towns.
Section 7-77 and 7-78. - Identification of veterans' graves. General penalty.