The need to amending the Stillbirth Registration Act to allow the register to be made public

As part of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Month, advocacy and support groups are calling for an immediate amendment to Section 8 of the Stillbirth Registration Act 1994 to make the Stillbirth Register public.

Under the current Act, only parents can view details of the infant on the stillbirth register. A mandatory sealing of this register hides away the details of their lost infants. Instead we need a system whereby families can opt out and allow their babies on the public record.

This is an incredibly sensitive matter which represents tragedy and bereavement for thousands of families. Pregnancy loss, in the form miscarriage or stillbirth occurs in up to one quarter of all pregnancies.

amendingStillbirthRegistration