The Hodgman Liberal Government will establish a process to allow parents who have experienced the loss of a baby in early pregnancy to apply for a certificate through the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
Members of the community, and particularly Bears of Hope Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support, have convincingly advocated for recognition of babies that are lost in early pregnancy. The Government has listened closely to the evidence and experience from other jurisdictions that this recognition can help parents through the grieving process.
There is currently no capacity in Tasmania to recognise a baby that is lost before 20 weeks gestation or if the baby weighed less than 400 grams.
The Department of Justice will immediately start work on implementing a system for parents to be able to apply for and receive a certificate of recognition. It is proposed the new system can be in place and launched on 15 October 2015, International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.
An application for a certificate will need to be supported by a declaration from the responsible medical practitioner or midwife confirming the early pregnancy loss.
The details will be recorded by the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages and certificates will be issued free of charge.
New South Wales, the Northern Territory, South Australia, Queensland and Western Australia have already established a similar process and ACT is planning to do the same in the near future.
The provision of these certificates will cost less than $10,000 to set-up and establish. This cost will be met from within the Department of Justice's existing budget allocation.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Tasmanian Coordinator of Bears of Hope Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support, Ms Maria Bond, who has selflessly provided a voice to Tasmanian parents who previously were unable to express their grief about a subject that is not often spoken about.