By ERIK SCHELZIG, Associated Press Writer
Wed Feb 14, 1:41 PM ET



NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Legislation introduced in Tennessee would require death certificates for aborted fetuses, which likely would create public records identifying women who have abortions.

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Rep. Stacey Campfield, a Republican, said his bill would provide a way to track how many abortions are performed. He predicted it would pass in the Republican-controlled Senate but would have a hard time making it through the Democratic House.

"All these people who say they are pro-life — at least we would see how many lives are being ended out there by abortions," said Campfield.

The number of abortions reported to the state Office of Vital Records is already publicly available. The office collects records — but not death certificates — on abortions and the deaths of fetuses after 22 weeks gestation or weighing about 1 pound.

The identities of the women who have abortions are not included in those records, but death certificates include identifying information such as Social Security numbers.

Campfield's bill, introduced Monday, would give abortion providers 10 days following an "induced termination of a pregnancy" to file a death certificate.

House Judiciary Chairman Rob Briley, a Democrat, called Campfield's proposal "the most preposterous bill I've seen" in an eight-year legislative career.

"It is totally inconsistent with everything the law contemplates as it relates to anything close to that subject," he said.

The anti-abortion group Tennessee Right to Life has not yet taken a position on the death certificate bill, said spokeswoman Myra Simons. But she said the organization applauds the sponsors' efforts to "draw attention to the way abortion is handled in Tennessee."

Keri Adams, vice president of Planned Parenthood in Tennessee, on Wednesday called the proposal an attempt to terrorize frightened and vulnerable women who are seeking abortion.

"We certainly hope the Tennessee Legislature doesn't invest too much energy in this bill," she said. "We think it's clearly a violation of privacy, and potentially illegal concerning HIPAA regulations."

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The mighty oak started out as a nut that held its ground.

I don't see how that can be legal! Public humiliation is just wrong.

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~*JAMI*~ GO RED SOX! WORLD CHAMPIONS!

Due to religious beliefs, I don't support abortion ever, but even I think this is going to far. It is a violation of privacy, and redundant because records are already being kept as far as statistics are concerned by another government agency. On the other hand, I might consider supporting a bill similiar to this if there were some perameters, such as pregnacies ended after three months of gestation. Even though I feel strongly on the subject of abortion, I also realize not everyone shares my veiws, and as much as I hate supporting compromise, a persons right to privacy shouldn't be thrown out the window over such a controvertial(sp?) issue.

This is awful. I can't believe that they would even think of doing this. I'm strongly opposed to this and I would hope that it wouldn't make it to the ballots.

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I also think that is very wrong. Think about this people already bomb clinic buildings and shoot at people going in, what if someone got ahold of the records and started comming after people?

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Charlotte *Wife to Tim* 7/8/05* *Mom to Elizabeth 07/10/06*

I've been thinking this over for a few days and there are a few things that bother me about this article. First is the issue of social security numbers on death certificates. I'm not positive, but I would think that the only social security number that would appear on a death certificate would be that of the decedent. In the case of an abortion, the child would have no social security number and therefore there would be none listed. I could be wrong, but I see no circumstance under which a parent's social security number would be included on a death certificate. I've never seen a death certificate, but are the decedents parent's names even listed?

The other issue would be that of the death certificates themselves. Although death certificates are a matter of public record, the Tennessee Department of Vital Records website states the following: "Cause of death is not public information and is not released except to immediate family members or their legal representatives for certain reasons as specified by state law." (http://www.state.tn.us/health/vr/). So even if Joe Blow got a copy of someones death certificate, he's not going to know the cause of death.

I see two issues as far as the bill itself is concerned. One is the importance of accurate reporting requirements for abortions. Tennessee seems to have a fairly good reporting requirement in place already for abortions performed after 22 weeks gestation. In Maryland (where I live), as it is in some other states, you are not required by law to report the number of abortions performed - reporting is voluntary - at least it was when I worked in politics several years ago. In my opinion it is dangerous and irresponsible, considering that abortion is a medical procedure and certainly not exempt from a variety of risks and complications (including death), to not have an accurate reporting system in place to track the number of abortions performed and any complications. (There need be no names involved though). Although this bill doesn't directly address that issue, I think it would be a step in the right direction.

The second question I would ask is whether the law requires that a death certificate be filed in the case of a stillbirth that occurs past the point of viability. If the answer is yes, then I certainly think that the same requirement should be made for abortions performed past the point of viability.

This issue is certainly an interesting one and to be honest I'm not sure ultimately what side I'd come out on. Assuming that no parent's social security numbers would be flying around, I could definitely see an argument for an amended version of the bill. Working in politics taught me many things, but one thing was crystal clear - in the world of politics there's a spin on everything. And I certainly think that's what has happened with this article.

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Stephanie
Mom to: Caleb (8/03), Ian (9/05), & Lucas (11/08)

I definitley think that they would be creating a whole lot of paperwork. It is just a plain dumb idea, IMO.

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~Happiness is a large family~

Not only is this idea wrong, it is stupid. Death certificates aren't issued unless a birth certificate is issued first (in olden days, something replaced the birth certificate like a baptism certificate, hospital record, etc).

In the case of a stillbirth, a birth certificate is issued, not a death certificate. The birth certificate indicates whether or not the child was born living. In most states, if the child is born breathing but dies shortly after (VERY shortly after) only a birth certificate is issued. Anyone on this board who has survived a fullterm stillbirth would have to post to say if the funeral home arranges for a death certificate.

What is on the death certificate? A lot of information including the names of the parents, the person's name at birth, the person's place of birth and sometimes even the parents' place of birth. The government asks for a lot of info so geneologists can trace the death certificate to the appropriate birth certificate. I was asked for a bunch of information for my 95-yr old grandmother's death certificate and it was just very lucky that we had asked her for much of that information for our own family records. And yes, only the dead person's social security number is given so the Social Security administration can retire that number. Retired SS numbers are public information - available on the internet!

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"I've been rich and I've been poor but independently wealthy is where it is at."

There are ways already in place to track the #of abortions w/o identifying people & invading their privacy. And you can't have a death certifcate w/o a birth certificate. This is stupid right wing posturing.

If that's the case then I think this policy should apply to abortions performed after viability as well. Goodness knows there have been enough reports of babies surviving abortions or living for a short while afterwards. It seems only fair that they should be afforded the same rights as a stillborn baby.

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Stephanie
Mom to: Caleb (8/03), Ian (9/05), & Lucas (11/08)