A family member had a sister who was still born,early 1970's,but because her parents are both still alive she is not entitled/allowed to order the birth cert.
The parents still find the whole episode too upsetting to address.
Siblings and indeed anyone in the world is allowed to order a stillbirth certificate.That does not mean anyone will be supplied with a certificate as the applicant may have to show further information about themselves, the reasons they want or require the certificate and include additional information such as their relationship to the stillborn, whether the parents of the stillborn are alive or dead etc., etc.
For siblings if their parents are alive the Registrar General will look at their application and make a decision to allow it or refuse it. If their parents are deceased their application will be allowed.
In the case of unrelated people applying for a stillbirth certificate the Registrar General will look at their reasons for requiring the certificate and make a decision based on the facts.
The statements on the GRO site are simply office policy for ease of use by GRO staff. The legal position is different from the office policy.
Obviously I do not know the details of this case but I have personal experience of the effect of stillbirth on the parents and family. I have also had correspondence with thousands of people affected by stillbirth and the vast majority (over 95%) tell me that until the family could talk about the stillbirth the anguish built.
Never forget the mother (and indeed the father) carried that baby for up to nine months and during that time built an emotional attachment to him/her.
They have a need of an acknowledgement of this rather than that period of their lives being a closed subject.
However because this is a very difficult subject to approach many will avoid the subject rather than giving the parents the support they need at this time.
A parent will never forget their stillborn child I have talked with 80 year old women who have explained to me how they still cry for the stillborn child they lost in their late teens.
The common factor with most people I have talked to is those who talk about their stillborn child have less pain than those who don't.
Cheers
Guy
