State Sen. Coughlin Introduces Grieving Parents Act

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COLUMBUS—State Senator Kevin Coughlin (R-Cuyahoga Falls) took an important step today in offering support for tens of thousands of Ohio families who, each year, suffer the devastating loss of a child due to a miscarriage.

During a Statehouse press conference, Coughlin unveiled Senate Bill 175, legislation known as the Grieving Parents Act, which would make changes to Ohio law concerning the disposition of fetal remains. Coughlin was joined by Melinda Wiles of Canton. Wiles is a member of God's Little Angels, a support group for families who have lost children.

“The unexpected loss of a pregnancy can be a very traumatic, emotionally-charged time for grieving parents, and Ohio law should compassionately allow for parents to begin the healing process in the manner that they determine to be the most appropriate for them,” said Coughlin.

While current Ohio law allows for the burial or cremation of the remains of a fetus that has reached at least 20 weeks of gestation (classified as a stillbirth), there is no such guarantee for women who miscarry prior to 20 weeks (classified as a loss of pregnancy). Also, while hospitals and other health care facilities typically dispose of the fetal remains according to their own policy, there are no standards in Ohio that regulate how or even if a family is informed about the fetal disposition procedures in the hospital or clinic in which they are receiving care.

SB 175 works to remedy this unfortunate disparity by allowing parents, upon request, to seek a death certificate for a miscarried fetus which would permit them to take possession of the remains and would give them the opportunity to do so before the remains are disposed of according to hospital policy. It would also create uniform standards by which health care providers would be required to inform parents about their right to seek a death certificate and about the disposal procedures of each hospital or clinic.

“This bill is about compassion and about choice. It is about showing compassion to those parents who are mourning the unexpected loss of an expected child by giving them the information and the tools they need to be able to make informed decisions about what to do with the fetal remains,” explained Coughlin. “By giving parents the power to choose how they wish for this to be handled, we are going a long way in helping these families recover from this tragic loss.”

Five other states (Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Missouri) have already passed similar legislation, and the issue is being considered in at least five others.