As used in this chapter, unless the context requires otherwise:
(1) “Abortion” means the purposeful interruption of pregnancy with the intention other than to produce a live-born infant or to remove a dead fetus and which does not result in a live birth. “Abortion” excludes management of prolonged retention of product of conception following fetal death;
(2) “Cabinet” means the Cabinet for Health and Family Services;
(3) “Dead body” means a human body or parts of the human body from the condition of which it reasonably may be concluded that death recently occurred;
(4) “Fetal death” means death prior to the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of human conception, irrespective of the duration of pregnancy; the death is indicated by the fact that after such expulsion or extraction the fetus does not breathe or show any other evidence of life such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles. This definition shall exclude abortion;
(5) “File” means the presentation of a vital record provided for in this chapter for registration by the Vital Statistics Branch;
(6) “Final disposition” means the burial, interment, cremation, removal from the
Commonwealth, or other authorized disposition of a dead body or fetus;
(7) “Institution” means any establishment, public or private, which provides inpatient medical, surgical, or diagnostic care or treatment or nursing, custodial, or domiciliary care, or to which persons are committed by law;
(8) “Live birth” means the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of human conception, irrespective of the duration of pregnancy which, after the expulsion or extraction, breathes, or shows any other evidence of life such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles, whether or not the umbilical cord has been cut or the placenta is attached;
(9) “Provisional death certificate” means an interim certificate identifying the deceased and authorizing a funeral director, or person acting as such, to take custody of the body and, except for cremation, to make final disposition;
(10) “Registration” means the acceptance by the Vital Statistics Branch and the incorporation of vital records provided for in this chapter into its official records;
(11) “System of vital statistics” means the registration, collection, preservation, amendment, and certification of vital records and the collection of other reports required by this chapter;
(12) “Secretary” means the secretary for health and family services;
(13) “Sudden infant death syndrome” means the death of an ostensibly healthy child who is two (2) weeks of age or older but less than three (3) years of age, which occurs suddenly and unexpectedly, with no known or apparent cause, and which remains unexplained after the performance of an autopsy;
(14) “Vital records” means certificates or reports of birth, death, stillbirth, marriage,
dissolution of marriage, or annulment, and data related thereto;
(15) “Vital statistics” means the data derived from certificates and reports of birth, death, stillbirth, abortion, marriage, dissolution of marriage, and related reports;
(16) “Certificate” means the certificate of birth, death, stillbirth, marriage, dissolution of marriage, or annulment as required by this chapter;
(17) “Office” means the Office for Children with Special Health Care Needs;
(18) “Hard of hearing infant” means a child at birth with a significant hearing loss which prevents the acquisition of speech and language through normal channels; and
(19) “Hearing risk certificate” means the certificate that includes questions which identify newborn babies with a higher risk than normal for hearing loss.
Effective: July 15, 2020
History: Amended 2020 Ky. Acts ch. 36, sec. 21, effective July 15, 2020. — Amended
2005 Ky. Acts ch. 99, sec. 427, effective June 20, 2005. — Amended 1998 Ky. Acts ch. 426, sec. 378, effective July 15, 1998. — Amended 1994 Ky. Acts ch. 405, sec.
80, effective July 15, 1994. – Amended 1992 Ky. Acts ch. 144, sec. 14, effective July
14, 1992. — Created 1990 Ky. Acts ch. 369, sec. 1, effective July 13, 1990.
Legislative Research Commission Note (7/14/2018). Under the authority of KRS
7.136(2), one or more references to the “Commission for Children with Special Health Care Needs” in this statute have been changed in codification to the “Office for Children with Special Health Care Needs” to reflect the renaming of the commission by the General Assembly in 2018 Ky. Acts ch. 114.