MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit (IEU) Seminar Series

Title: The Law on Stillbirth: Challenges for law when the beginning and the end of life collide

Abstract: In this paper I will draw from findings of the ‘Death Before Birth’ project.[1] This was an ESRC-funded project (September 2016 – August 2018) that examined how people in England who have experienced miscarriage, termination for fetal anomaly, and stillbirth reach decisions concerning what happens to their baby after death, how their perceptions of the law impact on their decision-making, and how they communicate their experiences and choices to those there to support them.

During the course of this research it became clear that the law on stillbirth was problematic in several ways and that will be my focus in this paper. The presentation will have three parts:

• Understanding the transforming meanings and functions of stillbirth registration & certification
• The role for coroners in investigating stillbirth and promoting patient safety
• Establishing signs of life – the legal significance of inconsistent practice

Biography: Sheelagh is a Reader in Law in the Centre for Health, Law, and Society in the University of Bristol's School of Law. She is interested in the fields of health law, law and reproduction, and law and gender and has published across these areas in law, ethics, and health care journals.

[1] ESRC grant ES/N008359/1 (September 2016 – August 2018) ‘Death Before Birth: Understanding, informing and supporting the choices made by people who have experienced miscarriage, termination and stillbirth’. £537,225. See: https://deathbeforebirthproject.org/

All welcome