Petition · past parliament

Allow all babies born no matter the stage of pregnancy a Birth Certificate.

Rejected 16 signatures

What the petition asks

I believe all babies born no matter the gestation of loss deserve to be recognised. They lived inside the womb of their mother and were then born into the world. If a woman gives birth to a child, that child deserves a birth certificate, to be recognised as part of this world.
During a routine scan just shy of twenty weeks pregnant I found out my son Henry had passed away at 15 weeks. Two days later I went on to be induced and gave birth to him. Did I receive a birth certificate for him? No, but why?

The definition of a birth certificate is- an official document issued to record a person's birth and identify them by name, place, date of birth, and parentage.

No where does it state the child has to be viable for life.

#HenrysLegacy

Why it was rejected

There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.

Timeline

15 Jan 2017 Petition opened for signatures
18 Jan 2017 Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 16
Status Rejected
Rejected 18 Jan 2017

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.