The Overview

Pennsylvania families who lose a pregnancy can now have a certified nurse midwife supply the medical certification for the fetal death certificate, closing a gap that left some families waiting for a physician or other clinician to complete paperwork. They now have the same authority already held by physicians, certified registered nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. The law amends the Vital Statistics Law of 1953 and takes effect Sept. 18, 2026, sixty days after the Gov. Josh Shapiro signed it July 20.

The bill, titled "An Act amending the act of June 29, 1953 (P.L.304, No.66), known as the Vital Statistics Law of 1953, in general provisions, further providing for definitions; and, in death and fetal death registration, further providing for information for certificates and for coroner referrals," lists Rep. Gina Curry, a Democrat, as its primary sponsor. It also adds certified nurse midwives to the conflict-of-interest provision: if the professional who would otherwise certify is an immediate family member of the deceased, the case must be referred to another qualified professional, now including a certified nurse midwife, and if none is available or willing, to the county coroner or an adjacent county's coroner. The bill text does not establish a new enforcement mechanism or penalty for the change.

The Demo

ProPublica reported that more than 20,000 U.S. pregnancies end in stillbirth each year and found that the country's response is hindered by limited research, incomplete data, and too few autopsies. A national review in *Obstetrics & Gynecology* concluded the U.S. needs better stillbirth records and cause-of-death information, particularly to analyze racial and ethnic disparities.

Researchers note that stillbirth rates and attributed causes differ by race and ethnicity, with diabetes and maternal complications accounting for a larger share of stillbirths among Black women than among White women, according to KFF. Black residents make up about 10.6 percent of Pennsylvania's population, the census figures show. About 5.6 percent of residents lack health insurance, the same data show.

The Debate

The Pennsylvania House passed the bill March 25, 2026, with 199 yes votes, zero no votes. The House Health Committee had voted 26 to zero both to adopt an amendment and to report the bill as amended on Dec. 17, 2025. The Senate Health and Human Services Committee voted 13 to zero to report the bill on June 24, 2026.

What's Next

The law takes effect Sept. 18, 2026, based on the 60-day period after the July 20 approval date, and the enacted text does not require a new provider certification or agency approval before a certified nurse midwife may provide the newly authorized fetal-death certification. The supplied enacted-bill information shows no bill-specific appropriation, and the available official bill materials and a targeted search identified no separate post-enactment implementation plan or cost estimate for the law.

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