Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility Bill streamlining post-stillbirth paperwork headed to governor’s desk

Bill streamlining post-stillbirth paperwork headed to governor’s desk

Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus    July 15, 2026 | 3:19 PM

HARRISBURG, July 15 – On Sunday, the General Assembly passed legislation that will streamline fetal death paperwork for families who experience loss during a midwife-led birth. The bill, introduced by state Rep. Gina H. Curry, D-Delaware, now heads to the governor’s desk to be signed into law.

“This is an important moment for families who choose to have midwife-led birth journeys, or who have limited access to medical doctors because of where they live and the strength of their local healthcare system,” said Curry. “Right now, midwives are not allowed to sign required fetal death reports after a stillbirth delivery or infant death during birth. That means families are being forced to wait through an overly bureaucratic process while they grieve.”

Under current law, if a death certificate is needed and no qualifying professional was present during the delivery, the case must be referred to the county coroner for investigation. Qualifying professionals include physicians, certified nurse practitioners, or physician assistants.

According to Curry, adding midwives to this list not only streamlines the process, but also alleviates an emotional burden for families while recognizing the professional skills midwives bring to the birthing process.

“Imagine going into labor only to experience the death of your expected child and then being asked to sit back and wait while the county coroner investigates the passing, simply because you chose to work with a midwife instead of a doctor,” said Curry. “These families are already in a state of emotional distress. Midwives are highly trained, compassionate medical professionals, and there’s no reason they can’t complete this process for their patients.

“I am proud of our state legislature and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for seeing the value in this important change to our laws. Together, we are making a difference for families at one of the most vulnerable moments of their lives.”

House Bill 1851 is part of the Pennsylvania Black Maternal Health Caucus’s PA MOMNIBUS, a comprehensive legislative package designed to confront the commonwealth’s persistently high rates of Black maternal mortality and morbidity through bold, evidence-based policy solutions. Specifically, HB 1851 is part of the caucus’s Expanding Midwifery Access & Authority for Healthier Communities initiative and is the second midwifery bill from that package to reach the governor’s desk. With its enactment, House Bill 1851 becomes the fourth PA MOMNIBUS bill signed into law since the caucus launched the initiative in 2024.