By Cara Matthews
ALBANY -- Several Republican and Democratic lawmakers said they are confident the New York Legislature will soon pass a new version of a contentious bill allowing parents of stillborn babies to get special birth certificates.
While the concept may seem non-controversial, it has become a lightning rod for debate around the country because abortion-rights advocates fear that giving a fetus "personhood" could fuel the pro-life agenda.
Proponents of the New York measure, which would allow parents to get a certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth, said that is not the case.
"I am about as adamant about protecting reproductive choice as anyone," said Assembly Health Committee Chairman Richard Gottfried, D-Manhattan, who helped craft a compromise bill to replace one that had languished for years. "I am quite confident that this bill does not in any way even come close to treating a fetus as a 'person.'"
Grassroots groups led by parents of stillborn babies say they want a certificate that acknowledges they gave birth and includes a name, not just certificates of fetal death that say "baby girl" or "baby boy."
Current state law says a fetal death shall be considered as a birth and as a death, but separate birth and death certificates are not required. Health departments almost never issue certificates for stillbirths, said Gottfried, who opposed the previous version of the bill.
"There is no hidden agenda. The only agenda is that we want to pass this bill. We want recognition for our children," said 34-year-old Jeff Tieger of Staten Island, whose wife, Lori, gave birth to a stillborn baby Feb. 8. They named him Daniel and have set up a foundation to raise money for research and education on stillbirths.
© 2008 Daniel's STAR