OFFICE OF THP: AYTORNEY GENERAL OF T-G
AUSTIN
QDULPGMLWM W’
A--
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Dr. PT. A. Davis
state Registrar of ‘Vital StatlstlQs ‘,
Toxar State Board of Health
Auatln, Tews
DfJar Sir1
You baoe ocilled i thie d&&neat to
and our oplnlon rJo,
ng of birth oertitl-
You ask the
vlts are tha
Pernon*s Revised Uirll Stat-
93gs 46th Legislature, Xoose
p HOUSO~ille 621, and 974,
d3s in part as iollows~
red may subalt to the ftpobate
y v&a suah birth or death oo-
t suoh birth or death ti tten
rorms or birth ‘&id death oertlfl-
oates and grovldad further that any oltisen of
the S ia te of Texts whhlog to flle the teoord of
any bitih or death that OOOUrWI oatala of bhs
State of Texaae not praviously regletered, nay
snbmlt to tha &bate Oourt in the Oounty nhera
he rssldss a ra6bfd of the6 birth cm death writ-
ten On the adOptad rOWJ of birth aid death 6Qr-
tl?loaterr -The 06irtlilaate shall be eubstanklited
by the arfldatlt of the nadioal ltten6ant probent
at the iiprs of the birth, or ln oaw df death,
ahe 8trmti6 or thr physirlan &at in lttenda no r
upon tb deoeawd, o? tha undertaker who burled
the boar. when tho afflttavltor the medloal ab-
twdan~ or andartaler oamot be leoured the oer-
titleate‘shall be mapported br the. afriha+lt or
MY Orson tie ua8 aoquainted wlth the iaota
#muMlo(l the birth or death, at the t&m the
birth OT death oe+uq-ed, rdth a rreaoad rfildwlt
of low pawn whe ie aopuainted uith the iaoto
wrwuadlng the birth or dea6h, ‘and who ir not
related to the indlvidunl by blood or matiyo.
TM Pmbato Oourb shall require suoh other in-
formation OF OvidWOe ar amy be deemed nsclessary
to establish~ths eltlaonship OS the individual
riling the omtlfloate, and the truthfulnass 0r
the statemeats mada 13 that reoord, Ths dterk
o? Me said Court shall iormrd tha oertlflaate
to the Stmto Buxoau~ of Vital Statlstlos u$th en
order,rrom the court to tim stat0 R0glrlmar that
the tewrd be, or be not woe$tadr Tbe 36ate
Rogi’rtmr i8 autbriwd 40 la o ep the b osrtliloaba
whan rwliied ln the above muWr, and &all i8sus
oortlr,iod 00p1e0 or auoh ~oordr ae provided r0T
b Seatlen 21 of W&a 150%. Suoh oartlflrd~oopler
shall be p%nn iaofe ~avldewo ln’all Oourts end
plmmoz or tJzo.ra6tr) crtated thareon. The Stats
Bureau of Vital Statistios shall furnish the foras
upon ubloh euoh rroorda are flled, and no otha
fOTR shall be Wed fur that purpws, ”
In oplnioiNo. O-4290 te midr
*The rort%iioata must br substantiated by the
af2ldavltr man~lowd in the Aoh"
Va t&ink the above quoted holdl~ lm oorreot. -
In optnlon Ro. b15278 wi aaldc
Vrtm a oar&u1 ooasldoratlon OS this stmt-
ate, ue draw the following oonol~sions:
“A. The ptirpose of the aat la *to proaure
the unlfoxm observenoe of lta provldone and the
maintenance of a perfect eystem of reg~r3tratlon~
of births and deaths. The State Registrar of
Vital Statistios 1s required to prepare and ls-
sue detailed lnstruotlons ueoossary to effaot
thl8 purpose*
q. The State Depwtment of Health 8hall
approve, and 'the State Bureau of Vital Statle-
tlor shall furnish, the foras upon vbioh euoh
reoords 8x-e .ffle8, and no other fom ahall br
uwd for that purp08q.~ The law oontemplatee
thvt the horns furnished ehal.1 provide spaoe
for the furnishing or the lhromatlon required
by the statute, and that tha ‘use* of awh lo~iar,
.&all oon8ltator a 8ubStantlal oolapllanoe with
the etatuto in this reapeot.
"0. !%en a @Celayed birth oertifioats' ha8
been *verified in the above sanner', I.e.* by the
affidavit of the xedloal att&\dant present aS the
time of the birth; or (in oa80 this a&mob be 8e-
eur8d) the affidavit of mnu person who was ao-
quabded wlth the taats 8urrouadbg the bla$h at
the time it eoourretl, nlth a wooed afrlaavlt of
soair person who is aaqualnted with the faotr, BUC-
roundihg the birth, and who is hot related to the
lndlvidual by blood or mrrlage; w (in either
owe) an order or the Probate Court Chat that reo-
f then the State Registrar la
and file the reoord. But ,U 4%
rifioatlon ia oonplete, and in due form,
the State P~glstrar la pot authorizeQ to aooept
and file the rooord, , . , 3e are further of tb.8
opinton that the statute eontenplatoa that the
'se&ml afrl&aYlt’ shall be made by someon other
than, the person whose birth 18 belog reeordod.*
The abeve quoted portion of opinion Ho. O-l+278YO
think 18 00n!e0t* -
Howwor, we turther a610 in opinion No, O-&278: ~.-
1). The oaly exoeptlon to the requirement8
noted under rule '0' , above, oontemplated by the
. .
391
a. 1. A* Darie, Pa60 4
statute, ICI that, where it la ahown to the aatla-
faotfon of the Probate Court that it is lmpoaslble
to verify the iaots of the birth in either of the
tuo mdnnua provided by the aot, then the oourt
nay reqtilre sooh other ovlden~b thereof as he deema
neoeasary, and nmy baso hla order that the raoord
bo aooepted, or be not aooopted, upon suoh other
btidenoe or the laok of it. Rut Ishue auoh a reo-
ord of bfrtih la aubaltted to the stat0 Registrar
for filing, lt should ahow on its faoe that it la
baaed upon suoh other e~ldmneo, and that the Pro-
bate Court haa found the impo~eiblllt~ of aeourlng
the statutory aftl&a+i6a~”
?fe have 0arentll.y reoonsidered the Batter and are .
now of the opinion that the portion of opinion #or U-b278
just above quoted is erro1~ou8~ iye hereby werruJ.e opinion
Ho. O-Up3 Insofar a8 it oonillots rl%h this opinlan.
It 1s our ogfnloa that when a “delay4 birth oer-
tlrloate* has been Werlrlod in the above wanner*, 1.6. by
ihe affidavit of the Bsdloal attendant present at the &e
of the birth1 or (in 0688 thlr oannot be eeoured) the alfl-
darit o? mae peruon who was aoquainted with, the raots eur-
rounding the birth at the time it ooourrexl, with a aeoond
affldavlt of wma pusan who i8 aoqualnted with the taota
lumoun the birth, and uho lo not related to the Zndi-
rldual by Yl 0012or aarrlqe~ &gg (ia either oarre) en order
o? the Probate Uourt that the reaord
state Registrar la required to aooep
Rut until suoh vediloatiou ie eonplete, and in due form,
fihe State Regietrar 10 wt authorlaeq to aooept and file the
raoord. ?fe are f’urther of the oplnloa that the atatute mm-
templates that the Naeoond lfflbarlt~ shall be made by aarm-
one other than the person whooe birth is beipe recorded, It
ia our further opinion that the *tire% affibatit* oazmot be
legally made by the peram whose birth 1s being reoorded.
It iti thorefors our opinion that hour question
should be anmued in the afrlrmatlve and it is 80 answued.
Very truly youra
ATTORXIR UXNRRAL OF ‘l’YXK3
Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion
Combined Opinion