May 9, 23

NEWS / Alabama Senate passes bill to issue nonviable birth certificates

The Alabama Senate passed a bill last week that would require the printing of birth certificates for prematurely born nonviable babies. Current law, which will change once Governor Kay Ivey signs the legislation, states that birth certificates can only be issued to babies born after at least 20 weeks of pregnancy. The bill has been named the “Genesis Act” after the stillborn baby of Keondra Hampton, an Alabama resident. “Genesis was of size that I could hold her,” Hampton was quoted by WBRC News 6 as saying, “She was a full baby. She was small, but she was still a baby.” Genesis was born at 17 weeks, making her ineligible for a birth certificate. Feeling that the law was unfair, Hampton contacted lawmakers, who created House Bill 55, also known as “Genesis Act” allowing any parent with a nonviable baby born before 20 weeks to request a birth certificate. “Her life matters and others babies lives matter,” Hampton stated, “You want something to show that you were a mother that cared for this baby..having something tangible especially in a state that really have so many laws concerning babies. Genesis was my baby too.”