The Rainbow Minute
The Rainbow MinuteThe Rainbow Minute
Thursday, April 5, 2012
“Two Mothers and Their Unimaginable Loss" Read by: Sarah Haman
In February, 2012, Lambda Legal filed suit against the Iowa Department of Public Health on behalf of Jenny and Jessica Buntemeyer. The married same-sex couple is seeking an accurate death certificate for their stillborn baby, Brayden.
Jessica became pregnant via en vitro fertilization and an anonymous donor. When filling out the fetal death certificate, Jessica filled out the boxes for “mother” and Jenny completed the “father” boxes, which was the only option for a second parent. Then the health department issued them a death certificate, but with Jenny’s name and identifying information erased.
The couple had met while serving in Iraq and wed in 2010.
A Lambda Legal spokesperson said, “To white out a mother’s name from her stillborn baby’s death certificate is cruel to a family that is already devastated.”
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