An Act To Amend the Laws Governing the Maternal, Fetal and Infant Mortality Review Panel
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §261, sub-§1, ¶B, as amended by PL 2017, c. 203, §1, is further amended to read:
B. "Deceased person" means a woman who died during pregnancy or within 42 days one year of giving birth or a child who died within one year of birth.
Sec. 2. 22 MRSA §261, sub-§4, ¶A, as amended by PL 2017, c. 203, §1, is further amended to read:
A. The panel coordinator shall review the deaths of all women during pregnancy or within 42 days one year of giving birth, the majority of cases in which a fetal death occurs after 28 weeks of gestation and the majority of deaths of infants under one year of age, with selection of cases of infant death based on the need to review particular causes of death or the need to obtain a representative sample of all deaths.
summary
This bill amends the laws governing the maternal, fetal and infant mortality review panel to require the review of maternal deaths that occur within one year of giving birth. Current law requires the panel to review maternal deaths that occur within 42 days of giving birth.