Rhode Island General Laws
Chapter 23-3 - Vital Records
Section 23-3-1. - Definitions.

§ 23-3-1. Definitions.
As used in this chapter:
(1) “Adoptee” means a person who was born in this state and who has had an original birth certificate sealed due to an adoption.
(2) “Adoptee vital records file” means a file operated by the division of vital records that maintains adoptees’ birth certificates, makes available the contact preference forms, and provides adoptees with non-certified copies of their birth certificates.
(3) “Adult adoptee” means an adoptee eighteen years of age or older.
(4) “Birth parent” is the person, the father or mother of genetic origin of a child, who is legally presumed under the laws of this state to be the father or mother of genetic origin of a child.
(5) “Community of residence” means the city or town within the state of a person’s home address at the time of his or her marriage or death, or of his or her mother’s home address at the time of his or her birth.
(6) “Contact preference form” means the form prepared and maintained by the division that birth parent(s) of adoptees may file to express his or her preference regarding contact with the adoptee. The contact preference form shall include language informing the birth parent(s) of their ability to provide genetic, social, and health history to the Passive Voluntary Adoption Mutual Consent Registry as defined in chapter 7.2 of title 15.
(7) “Dead body” means a lifeless human body or parts of a lifeless human body or its bones from the state of which it reasonably may be concluded that death recently occurred.
(8) “Direct line descendant” means a person who is in direct line to an ancestor, such as a biological child, grandchild, or great-grandchild.
(9) “Division” means the division of vital records as defined in this chapter.
(10) “Fetal death” means death prior to the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of human conception, irrespective of the duration of pregnancy; the death is indicated by the fact that after the expulsion or extraction the fetus does not breathe or show any other evidence of life such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of the voluntary muscles.
(11) “Filing” means the presentation of a certificate, report, or other record provided for in this chapter, of a birth, death, fetal death, adoption, marriage, or divorce for registration by the division of vital records.
(12) “Final disposition” means the burial, interment, cremation, or other disposition of a dead body or fetus.
(13) “Institution” means any establishment, public or private, that provides in-patient medical, surgical, or diagnostic care or treatment, or nursing, custodial or domiciliary care to two (2) or more unrelated individuals, or to which persons are committed by law.
(14) “Legal representative” means an individual’s attorney, personal representative, or conservator and includes a guardian appointed by the court to make decisions regarding the person of an adult.
(15) “Live birth” means the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of human conception, irrespective of the duration of pregnancy, that, after that expulsion or extraction, breathes or shows any other evidences of life such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of the voluntary muscles, whether or not the umbilical cord has been cut or the placenta is attached.
(16) “Physician” means a person authorized or licensed to practice medicine pursuant to chapter 37 of title 5.
(17) “Registration” means the acceptance by the division of vital records and the incorporation in its official records of certificates, reports, or other records provided for in this chapter, or births, deaths, fetal deaths, adoptions, marriages, or divorces.
(18) “Signing” or “Signature” means the application of either a hand signature to a paper record or an electronic process approved by the state registrar of vital records.
(19) “System of vital records” means the registration, collection, preservation, amendment, and certification of vital statistics records, and activities related to them including the tabulation, analysis, and publication of statistical data derived from those records.
(20) “Vital records” means records of birth, death, fetal death, marriage, divorce, and data related to those records.
History of Section.P.L. 1961, ch. 87, § 1; P.L. 1964, ch. 127, § 1; P.L. 1982, ch. 385, § 1; P.L. 2000, ch. 164, § 1; P.L. 2008, ch. 475, § 34; P.L. 2011, ch. 228, § 2; P.L. 2011, ch. 239, § 2; P.L. 2021, ch. 233, § 2, effective July 8, 2021; P.L. 2021, ch. 234, § 2, effective July 8, 2021; P.L. 2022, ch. 290, § 1, effective June 29, 2022; P.L. 2022, ch. 333, § 1, effective June 29, 2022.