Closed petition Change the law to expand Coroners’ powers to allow investigations of still births

Closed on 9 January 2013

The lack of a national system for investigating stillbirths goes some way towards explaining why we have fallen so far behind other wealthy nations in reducing stillbirths.
We already have a very effective process for unexplained deaths that could be expanded to cover stillbirths. Coroner’s inquests determine the circumstances and causes of death when they are unclear. Lessons can be learned by clinicians and policy-makers and changes can be brought about through the Coroner’s power to report to relevant bodies to demand action be taken. However, a Coroner only has jurisdiction to investigate where a person has died, and as a stillborn child is not legally recognised as ever having lived there is no death to investigate in legal terms.

We want the law changed to expand Coroners' powers so they have jurisdiction to investigate the death of a child who is still born.