official birth certificates for stillborn babies would really confuse our demographic analyses. It would imply there's a huge deathrate, which is different from the stillborn rate. For statistical and health analysis purposes, births, stillborns, and infant deaths should be catagorized differently.

There's a reason that slippery-slope arguments are considered, by philosophers, to be violations of logic. With all due respect, this is one example.

The issue at hand is stillborn certificates. The issue at hand is not abortion. The issue at hand is not demographics. The issue at hand is not school funding.

Stick to the issue. In the case of stillborn certificates, usually those are documents that are not exactly the same as birth certificates and not exactly the same as death certificates but something that combines elements of both. Doesn't seem too controversial to me.

When the issue of abortion comes up, deal with abortion. When the issue of being precise about demographics comes up, deal with the issue about precise demographics.

People who argue that issuance of stillborn certificates somehow compromises abortion rights are making a similar mistake, in my view, to that of the Rick ("Man-on-Dog") Santorums of the world, who argue that if gay unions are sanctioned or accepted, the next thing you know men will be marrying their housepets or farm animals.

When my sister miscarried 7 months, she was given a certificate. I do not know if it was a "true" birth certificate, but it was something tangible she could look at and keep. I have no doubt that it helped with part of her and her husband's grieving process. It noted that their little girl "was born silently into this world on..."

I hesitate to take a stand either way, but I do know that for them, personally, it was a comfort, along with the support of the nurses and staff on duty that day. I think their compassion and understanding was also a large factor of their healing process.

AnnieC305, there's a really good reason to title the document a "Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth" rather than anything else. That title - is what best repesents occurs.

Medically, pregnancy is a process, which concludes at the *birth* event, whether the baby is live or still born.

Any state’s refusal to validate the experience of childbirth is inexcusable. The mother of a stillborn baby must still give *birth* to her dead infant.

All states require the issuance of "Certificate of (Live) Birth" for baby born before 20 weeks gestation who exhibits any sign of life including taking a single breath, or having a single heartbeat. Many stillbirths occur at or even past full term to otherwise apparently healthy babies.

The process, cost, and investment of pregnancy, labor, and *birth* for a live born or stillborn baby is identical.

Currently, the family of the stillborn infant is required to carry the duty to bury the stillborn child. Yet, there is no willingness to acknowledge that this infant WAS *born* - or ever existed (beyond a Death Certificate).

In states where this bill has passed, many women have applied for the Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth years (even decades) after their baby’s death.

Since 2001, laws like this have passed in 18 other states, and in no way, shape or form have these laws ever eroded a woman's 'right to choose'. Those who wish to associate stillbirth with abortion or abortion rights should seriously be ashamed of themselves.

Are you kidding? What evidence do you have to support your unfounded, idiot, taurean excrement-filled assertion?

What do you know about this anyway? Anything? Doubtful. You're clearly a misinformed, misguided, judgmental ideologue. How dare you accuse these heartbroken mothers of planning a surreptitious overturn of a completely non-related issue. The wacko in Tennessee, so far as I can tell, is not connected to these women, these groups, or this issue at *all*

Women need to be standing behind their SISTERS. Real feminists would not be afraid of doing the right thing.

I honor and applaud you for your true feminist courage and ability to reason through the issues!

Stand up for your sisters who experienced the tragedy of stillbirth, and who, like others, deserve their own right to choose.

For those uninformed, assuming, and uneducated--

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNvTDTK-0Jk