Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 46 – Return and Registry of Births, Marriages and Deaths | Midpage

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Massachusetts General Laws

Chapter 46

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 46

Return and Registry of Births, Marriages and Deaths

1Certificates of birth, marriage, death and acknowledgments and adjudications of paternity; contents; residence defined 1ABirth records of abandoned children or foundlings 1BFiling reports of out-of-state births or adoptions 1CFiling reports of out-of-state deaths 1DAdoption of surname upon marriage 1EDefinitions 2Separate registries for births, deaths and marriages 2ADisclosure of information about vital statistics; conditions 2BPre-adoption birth certificates; application for inspection by adopted persons 2CPre-adoption birth certificates; access by child of deceased adopted parent 3Physician's record of birth; out of hospital birth 3AHospital administrator's duties; report; verification 3BBirth without immediate admittance to hospital for postnatal care; report 3CChildren born out of wedlock; information regarding benefits and responsibilities of parentage; voluntary acknowledgment of parentage 3DAcknowledgments and adjudications of paternity; records available to IV–D agency 4Birth without attending physician; report; recording; petition; hearing 4ALocal officials; processing of birth certificates 6Notification of births and deaths 7Report of births and deaths at sea 7AReport of births on airplanes; penalty for violation 8Penalty for failure to report births and deaths 9Death certificates; issuance; contents; declaration of death by nurse, nurse practitioner or physician's assistant 9BPenalties 10Death certificates of veterans; contents; penalty for violation 11Duties of undertakers 11/2Certificates of birth resulting in stillbirth; filing 12Certified copies of birth certificates and death records; transmission to parents or next of kin; exceptions 13Correction of records 13ACorrection of birth records; procedure 14Penalty for false returns 16Blank forms for vital records; security features; approval of non-state registrar supplied forms; standards for forms used for permanent records 17Birth records; state registrar; originals; certified copies 17AMarriage records; state registrar; originals; certified copies 17BDeath records; state registrar; originals; certified copies 17COriginal forms and evidence of amendments and corrections in birth, marriage and death records 17DAmended birth, marriage and death records; certified copies to holders of originals 18Script used on forms; state standards for uniformity, security, materials, devices and preservation 19Use of records as evidence 19AUnauthorized reproduction of records; penalty 19BCertified copies of birth records; restricted information regarding mother 19CAuthentication of copies of birth, marriage and death records; use as evidence 20Births and deaths in Tewksbury Hospital; records 22Registrars of vital statistics 23Prosecution of persons failing to file required reports 24Statements of births and deaths; penalty 25Disposition of fines and forfeitures 26Fees 27Clerks; penalty for neglecting required duties 28Administration of oaths 29Attestation of certificates 30Alteration, forgery or counterfeiting; penalty 31Adoption contact information registry 32Reasonable cause to believe there has been misconduct regarding vital records; actions by clerk and state registrar 33Centralized, automated database for vital records and statistics; certified copies issued from database; capacity requirements of database; maintenance and preservation of original paper records 34Agreements to verify existence of birth, marriage or death records