What is No Breath Required?
No Breath Required is a campaign advocating for coronial oversight of stillbirths in England.
At present, the death of any baby who is stillborn and does not take an independent breath cannot be investigated by a coroner.
This applies even where there are concerns about the care received by the baby or the birthing parent.
The campaign takes its name from this current position. In practice, access to a coroner’s investigation currently depends on whether a baby took a breath after birth.
Why this matters
Around 3,000 babies are stillborn in England each year.
Where a baby dies shortly after birth, a coroner has the authority to investigate the circumstances of that death.
But where a baby is stillborn, coroners currently have no jurisdiction to investigate.
This means that in some cases serious questions about the care provided during pregnancy or labour cannot be independently examined, and evidence that could help families understand what happened may never be considered in a public, independent investigation.
Parliament required the Government to report on this issue in 2019. Seven years later that report has still not been published.
No Breath Required is led by families affected by stillbirth who believe that where concerns exist about the care provided, those circumstances should be capable of independent investigation.
What the campaign is calling for
No Breath Required is calling for a route to independent coronial investigation where concerns arise following a stillbirth.
This could include cases where there are concerns about the care received during pregnancy or labour, where parents themselves have concerns about the circumstances of the stillbirth, or where the stillbirth was unexpected.
In these circumstances, an independent coronial investigation could provide families with answers and ensure that relevant evidence can be examined transparently.
In 2019 Parliament passed legislation requiring the Government to report on whether, and if so how, coroners should investigate stillbirths. This duty was created under section 4 of the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc.) Act 2019.
The campaign seeks to ensure that this question is properly addressed, and that concerns about the care surrounding a stillbirth are capable of independent coronial investigation, rather than access to such scrutiny depending on whether a baby took a breath after birth.
Whether a baby took a breath after birth should not determine whether the circumstances of their death can be independently examined.