Bill > HB164

This bill, known as the Final Disposition of Fetal Remains Act, establishes comprehensive guidelines for handling fetal remains in Pennsylvania healthcare facilities. The bill defines key terms, including "fetal remains" as a fetus expelled or extracted without signs of life, and sets specific requirements for their disposition. Healthcare facilities are required to either cremate or inter fetal remains in compliance with burial and transit permit regulations, with parents responsible for costs if they choose a location outside the facility's usual practice. The bill provides privacy protections by allowing burial permits to remain nameless and keeping identifying information confidential. If parents do not claim the fetal remains, facilities may conduct simultaneous cremation. Importantly, the bill clarifies that no birth certificate will be issued for stillbirths, and parents are not obligated to cremate or inter the remains unless they affirmatively request it. Violations of the act will be subject to penalties under the Vital Statistics Law of 1953, and the legislation will take effect 60 days after passage. The bill aims to provide a standardized, respectful approach to handling fetal remains while maintaining sensitivity to parents' wishes and privacy.

Health and Social Services

https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/bill_history.cfm?syear=2025&sind=0&body=H&type=B&bn=164