As used in this chapter, unless the context requires otherwise:

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(1) ‘Alkaline hydrolysis‘ or ‘hydrolysis’ means the technical process for reducing human remains by placing the remains in a dissolution chamber that uses heat, pressure, water and base chemical agents, in a licensed hydrolysis facility, to reduce human remains to bone fragments and essential elements.

(2) ‘Amendment’ means a change to an item that appears on a certified copy of a vital record after a certified copy has been issued.

(3) ‘Authorized representative’ means an agent designated in a written statement signed by the registrant or other qualified applicant, the signing of which was witnessed.

(4) ‘Certified copy’ means the document, in either paper or electronic format, issued by the State Registrar of the Center for Health Statistics and containing all or a part of the information contained on the original vital record, and which, when issued by the state registrar, has the full force and effect of the original vital record.

(5) ‘Certified copy item’ means any item of information that appears on a certified copy.

(6) ‘Certifier’ means a person required to attest to the accuracy of information submitted on a report.

(7) ‘Correction’ means a change to an item that is not included in a certified copy of a vital record, or a change to an item that is included in a certified copy provided that no certified copy has been issued.

(8) ‘Court of competent jurisdiction‘ means a court within the United States with jurisdiction over a person subject to regulation under this chapter.

(9) ‘Date of registration‘ means the month, day and year a vital record is incorporated into the official records of the Center for Health Statistics.

(10) ‘Dead body’ means a human body or such parts of such human body from the condition of which it reasonably may be concluded that death occurred.

(11) ‘Electronic signature’ means an electronic sound, symbol or process attached to or logically associated with a contract or other record that is executed or adopted by a person with the intent to attest to the accuracy of the facts in the record.

(12) ‘Government agency’ means a unit of federal, state, local or tribal government.

(13) ‘Health research’ means a systematic study to gain information and understanding about health, with the goal of finding ways to improve human health, that conforms to or is conducted in accordance with generally accepted scientific standards or principles and that is designed to develop or contribute to general scientific knowledge.

(14) ‘Facts of live birth‘ means the name of the child, date of birth, place of birth, sex and parent’s name or parents’ names appearing on the record of live birth.

(15) ‘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, that is not an induced termination 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 the voluntary muscles.

(16) ‘Final disposition’ means the burial, interment, cremation, reduction, removal from the state or other authorized disposition of a dead body or fetus, except that when removal from the state is conducted by the holder of a certificate of removal registration issued under ORS § 692.270, the final disposition may not be considered complete until the report of death is filed.

(17)(a) ‘Human remains’ means a dead body.

(b) ‘Human remains’ does not include cremated or reduced human remains recovered after cremation or reduction.

(18)(a) ‘Induced termination of pregnancy’ means the purposeful interruption of an intrauterine pregnancy with the intention other than to produce a live-born infant and that does not result in a live birth.

(b) ‘Induced termination of pregnancy’ does not include management of prolonged retention of products of conception following fetal death.

(19) ‘Institution’ means any establishment, public or private, that provides inpatient or outpatient medical, surgical or diagnostic care or treatment or nursing, custodial or domiciliary care, or to which persons are committed by law.

(20) ‘Interment’ means the disposition of human remains by entombment or burial.

(21) ‘Legal representative’ means a licensed attorney representing the registrant or other qualified applicant.

(22) ‘Live birth’ means the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of human conception, irrespective of the duration of pregnancy, that, after such 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.

(23) ‘Medical certifier‘ means a physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner licensed under the laws of this state or under the laws of Washington, Idaho or California who has treated a decedent within the 12 months preceding death.

(24) ‘Natural organic reduction’ means the contained, accelerated conversion of human remains to soil.

(25) ‘Person acting as a funeral service practitioner’ means:

(a) A person other than a funeral service practitioner licensed under ORS § 692.045, including but not limited to a relative, friend or other interested party, who performs the duties of a funeral service practitioner without payment; or

(b) A funeral service practitioner who submits reports of death in another state if the funeral service practitioner is employed by a funeral establishment licensed in another state and registered with the State Mortuary and Cemetery Board under ORS § 692.270.

(26) ‘Person in charge of an institution‘ means the officer or employee who is responsible for administration of an institution.

(27) ‘Personally identifiable information’ means information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity or, when combined with other personal or identifying information, is linked or linkable to a specific individual.

(28) ‘Physician’ means a person authorized to practice medicine, chiropractic or naturopathic medicine under the laws of this state or under the laws of Washington, Idaho or California, a physician assistant licensed under ORS § 677.505 to 677.525 or a nurse practitioner licensed under ORS § 678.375 to 678.390.

(29) ‘Record’ means a report that has been registered by the state registrar.

(30) ‘Record of foreign live birth’ means a document registered by the state registrar for a person born in a foreign country who may or may not be a citizen of the United States and who was adopted under the laws of this state.

(31) ‘Reduction’ means an authorized process for reducing human remains. Authorized processes for reducing human remains include alkaline hydrolysis, natural organic reduction and any other alternative process authorized by the State Mortuary and Cemetery Board.

(32) ‘Registration’ means the process by which vital records and reports are accepted and incorporated into the official records of the Center for Health Statistics.

(33) ‘Report’ means a document, whether in paper or electronic format, containing information related to a vital event submitted by a person required to submit the information to the state registrar for the purpose of registering a vital event.

(34) ‘State’ includes a state or territory of the United States, the District of Columbia and New York City.

(35) ‘System of vital statistics‘ means:

(a) The collection, registration, preservation, amendment, certification and verification of, and the maintenance of the security and integrity of, vital records;

(b) The collection of reports required by this chapter; and

(c) Activities related to the activities described in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this subsection, including the tabulation, analysis, dissemination and publication of vital statistics and training in the use of health data.

(36) ‘Verification’ means confirmation of the information on a vital record based on the facts contained in a report.

(37) ‘Vital record’ means a report of a live birth, death, fetal death, marriage, declaration of domestic partnership, dissolution of marriage or domestic partnership and related data that have been accepted for registration and incorporated into the official records of the Center for Health Statistics.

(38) ‘Vital statistics’ means the aggregated data derived from records and reports of live birth, death, fetal death, induced termination of pregnancy, marriage, declaration of domestic partnership, dissolution of marriage, dissolution of domestic partnership and supporting documentation and related reports. [Subsections (1) and (2) enacted as 1973 c.829 § 15; 1983 c.709 § 1; 1997 c.783 § 1; 1999 c.254 § 4; 1999 c.724 § 7; 2001 c.900 § 154; 2007 c.99 § 16; 2009 c.595 § 604; 2013 c.366 § 1; 2014 c.45 § 50; 2017 c.409 § 14; 2021 c.296 § 30]