Fetal death is a death prior to the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of conception, irrespective of the duration of pregnancy; the death is indicated by the fact that after such separation the fetus does not breathe nor show any other evidence of life, such beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles.
Pursuant to Rule 31 (3), a fetus with intra uterine life of less than seven months is not deemed born if it dies within twenty-four hours after its complete delivery from the mother’s womb. In the Philippines, for statistical purposes, a Certificate of Death shall be prepared in duplicate and a copy of each shall be forwarded to the Office of the Civil Registrar and the PSA-Office of Civil Registrar General. However, the preparation of a Certificate of Death (COD) for statistical purposes may not be applicable abroad, if fetal death is not a registrable document in the host country.
