Permits midwives and physician assistants to certify the cause of death on a fetal death certificate if they are in attendance at or after a fetal death.
Summary
S05222 amends New York’s Public Health Law section 4161 governing fetal death certificates. The bill expands who may certify the facts and cause of death on a fetal death certificate by adding midwives and physician assistants to the list of authorized practitioners when they are in attendance at or after a fetal death. It also updates statutory language to use gender-neutral terms such as “birthing parent” and makes conforming changes throughout the section.
The bill preserves the existing framework for fetal death reporting, including the commissioner’s authority to prescribe the form and content of the certificate, confidentiality protections for the birthing parent, and the use of a unique confidential identifier for data coordination, quality monitoring, and research. It also retains the rule that fetal deaths without medical attendance are treated as deaths without medical attendance under the article, and it keeps the hospital process for prompt certification so the 72-hour registration deadline can be met.
Impact
This bill would change state law by broadening the class of licensed health professionals who may complete fetal death certification duties, specifically allowing midwives and physician assistants to certify the cause of death where they are present. It would amend the Public Health Law’s fetal death certificate provisions and related hospital certification procedures, while leaving the overall reporting and confidentiality structure intact. The practical effect is to reduce reliance on physicians alone for these certifications and align the statute with current maternity and reproductive health care practice.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests the bill was received positively in committee, passing the Senate Health Committee 14-0 on April 29, 2025. No committee transcript is available, but the unanimous vote indicates broad support at the committee level and little visible opposition in the recorded action. The bill’s sponsor list and technical nature also suggest it is framed as a professional scope and administrative modernization measure rather than a controversial policy change.
Contention
The main point of potential contention is the expansion of certification authority to midwives and physician assistants, which may raise questions about professional scope, training, and who should be authorized to certify cause of death. Another possible issue is the bill’s use of updated terminology such as “birthing parent,” which may draw attention from those concerned about statutory language changes. However, no recorded committee debate or dissent is available, and the unanimous committee vote suggests these issues did not generate significant opposition in the available record.
Same As
Permits midwives and physician assistants to certify the cause of death on a fetal death certificate if they are in attendance at or after a fetal death.
Permits midwives and physician assistants to certify the cause of death on a fetal death certificate if they are in attendance at or after a fetal death.
Permits midwives and physician assistants to certify the cause of death on a fetal death certificate if they are in attendance at or after a fetal death.