Del. Code 16, § 3101 : Health And Safety — Registration Of Births, Deaths, Marriages, Divorces, Annulments And Adoptions — General Provisions — Definitions

  • Date:

Current through 2016 Legislative Session, Act 399

As used in this chapter:

(1) "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 recently occurred.
(2) "Department" means the Department of Health and Social Services.
(3) "File" means the presentation of a vital record provided for in this chapter for registration by the Office of Vital Statistics.
(4) "Induced termination of pregnancy" means the purposeful interruption of an intrauterine pregnancy with the intention other than to produce a live-born infant and which does not result in a live birth. This definition excludes management of prolonged retention of products of conception following fetal death.
(5) "Institution" means any establishment, public or private, which provides in-patient medical, surgical or diagnostic care or treatment or nursing, custodial or domiciliary care, or to which persons are committed by law.
(6) "Live birth" is defined as the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of conception (irrespective of the duration of pregnancy) which, after such separation, breathes or shows any other evidence of life such as beating of the heart, pulsations of the umbilical cord or definite movement of voluntary muscles, whether or not the umbilical cord has been cut or the placenta is attached. Heartbeats are to be distinguished from transient cardiac contractions; respirations are to be distinguished from fleeting respiratory efforts or gasps.
(7) "Physician" means a person authorized or licensed to practice medicine or osteopathy pursuant to the laws of this State.
(8) "Registration" means the acceptance by the Office of Vital Statistics and the incorporation of vital records provided for in this chapter into its official records.
(9) "Spontaneous fetal death" or "stillborn fetus" is defined as a spontaneous death (i.e., not an induced termination of pregnancy) prior to the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of conception. The death is indicated by the fact that after such separation, 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. Heartbeats are to be distinguished from transient cardiac contractions; respirations are to be distinguished from fleeting respiratory efforts or gasps.
(10) "System of vital statistics" means the registration, collection, preservation, amendment and certification of vital records; the collection of other reports required by this chapter; and activities related thereto including the tabulation, analysis and publication of vital statistics.
(11) "Vital records" means certificates or reports of birth, death, marriage, divorce or annulment, and data related thereto.
(12) "Vital statistics" means the data derived from certificates and reports of birth, death, spontaneous fetal death, marriage, divorce or annulments, and related reports.
Del. C. § 3101
40 Del. Laws, c. 96, §§ 1-10; Code 1935, § 806; 44 Del. Laws, c. 69, § 1; 16 Del. C. 1953, § 3124; 52 Del. Laws, c. 88, § 1; 68 Del. Laws, c. 274, § 1; 70 Del. Laws, c. 149, § 137; 70 Del. Laws, c. 378, § 1.;
SECTIONS