CDC introducing ‘Mickie’s Law’ to provide support for parents experiencing pre-term labor, loss

The initiative – introduced as “Mickie’s Law” -- is to protect mother's whose fetus has died.

News 12 Staff

Nov 17, 2022, 3:35 AM

Updated 688 days ago

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The Center for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday a new bill is being introduced to provide medical support for parents who are experiencing pre-term labor and loss.
The initiative – introduced as “Mickie’s Law” -- is to protect mother's whose fetus has died.
"I lost my child six years ago when I was pushed out of a hospital in the middle of a pre-term birth that was actually happening in the hospital, and they refused to treat me,” said Rep. Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn.
Bichotte ended up losing her son, Jonah Bichotte Cowan, and passing a bill in his honor for hospitals to establish requirements for women who are concerned about being in pre-term labor.
“Mickie’s Law” is in honor of an unborn baby who died and the parents were denied removal of the fetus due to a hospital's religious beliefs in New York state leading to a life-threatening situation.
"Mickie's Law is a law that I introduced this year that would ensure mothers who encounter fetal deaths to get treatment and remove a dead fetus especially in the event of an emergency,” Bichotte added.
If the bill were to be signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul, it would require a removal of the deceased fetus after 48 hours of notification, notifying patients within 24 hours after the results of fetus or embryo death, referral of patients to another provider of they cannot perform services and the setup of a registry for facilities that perform necessary services and require OBGYN residents to be full trained and educated in the procedure.