Article - Health - General

4- 208.

(a) (1) Within 72 hours after a birth occurs in an institution, or en route to
the institution, the administrative head of the institution or a designee of the
administrative head shall:

(i) Prepare, on the form that the Secretary provides, a certificate of

birth;

(ii) Secure each signature that is required on the certificate; and

(iii) File the certificate.

(2) The attending physician shall provide the date of birth and medical
information that are required on the certificate within 72 hours after the birth.

(3) THE RESULTS OF THE UNIVERSAL HEARING SCREENING OF
NEWBORNS SHALL BE INCORPORATED INTO THE SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
REQUIRED BY THE DEPARTMENT TO BE SUBMITTED AS A PART OF THE BIRTH EVENT.

(4) Upon the birth of a child to an unmarried woman in an institution,
the administrative head of the institution or the designee of the administrative head
shall:

(i) Provide an opportunity for the child's mother and the father to
complete a standardized affidavit of parentage recognizing parentage of the child on
the standardized form provided by the Department of Human Resources under §

5- 1028 of the Family Law Article;

(ii) Furnish to the mother written information prepared by the
Child Support Enforcement Administration concerning the benefits of having the
paternity of her child established, including the availability of child support
enforcement services; and

(iii) Forward the completed affidavit to the Department of Health
and Mental Hygiene, Division of Vital Records. The Department of Health and
Mental Hygiene, Division of Vital Records shall make the affidavits available to the
parents, guardian of the child, or a child support enforcement agency upon request.

[(4)] (5) An institution, the administrative head of the institution, the
designee of the administrative head of an institution, and an employee of an
institution may not be held liable in any cause of action arising out of the
establishment of paternity.

[(5)](6) , If the child's mother was not married at the time of either
conception or birth or between conception and birth, the name of the father may not
be entered on the certificate without an affidavit of paternity as authorized by §
5-1028 of the Family Law Article signed by the mother and the person to be named on
the certificate as the father.