S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
3451
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
I N S E N A T E
January 31, 2023
___________
Introduced by Sens. RIVERA, CLEARE, MYRIE -- read twice and ordered
printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Health
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to certification of
fetal death certificates by a midwife or physician assistant
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Section 4161 of the public health law, as amended by chap-
ter 436 of the laws of 1967, the section heading and subdivisions 2 and
3 as amended by chapter 153 of the laws of 2011, subdivisions 1 and 4 as
amended by chapter 352 of the laws of 2013, is amended to read as
follows:
§ 4161. Fetal death certificates; form and content[; physicians, nurse
practitioners, midwives, and hospital administrators]. 1. The certif-
icate of fetal death and the report of fetal death shall contain such
information and be in such form as the commissioner may prescribe;
provided however that commencing on or after the implementation date
under section forty-one hundred forty-eight of this article, information
and signatures required by this subdivision shall be obtained and made
in accordance with section forty-one hundred forty-eight of this arti-
cle, except that unless requested by the woman neither the certificate
nor the report of fetal death shall contain the name of the woman, her
social security number or any other information which would permit her
to be identified except as provided in this subdivision. The report
shall state that a certificate of fetal death was filed with the commis-
sioner and the date of such filing. The commissioner shall develop a
unique, confidential identifier to be used on the certificate of fetal
death to be used in connection with the exercise of the commissioner's
authority to monitor the quality of care provided by any individual or
entity licensed to perform an abortion in this state and to permit coor-
dination of data concerning the medical history of the woman for
purposes of conducting surveillance scientific studies and research
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06158-01-3
S. 3451 2
pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (j) of subdivision one of
section two hundred six of this chapter.
2. In each case where a physician [or], nurse practitioner, MIDWIFE,
OR PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT was in attendance at or after a fetal death, it
is the duty of such [physician or nurse] practitioner to certify to the
birth and to the cause of death on the fetal death certificate. [Where a
nurse-midwife was in attendance at a fetal death it is the duty of such
nurse-midwife to certify to the birth but, he or she shall not certify
to the cause of death on the fetal death certificate.]
3. Fetal deaths occurring without the attendance of a [physician or
nurse] practitioner as provided in subdivision two of this section shall
be treated as deaths without medical attendance, as provided in this
article.
4. When a fetal death occurs in a hospital, except in those cases
where certificates are issued by coroners or medical examiners, the
person in charge of such hospital or his or her designated represen-
tative shall promptly present the certificate to the physician [or],
nurse practitioner, MIDWIFE, OR PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT in attendance, or a
physician [or], nurse practitioner, MIDWIFE, OR PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT
acting in his or her behalf, who shall promptly certify to the facts of
birth and of fetal death, provide the medical information required by
the certificate, sign the medical certificate of birth and death, and
thereupon return such certificate to such person, so that the seventy-
two hour registration time limit prescribed in section four thousand one
hundred sixty of this title can be met; provided, however that commenc-
ing on or after the implementation date under section forty-one hundred
forty-eight of this article, information and signatures required by this
subdivision shall be obtained and made in accordance with section
forty-one hundred forty-eight of this article.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.