Why does the 2004 Certificate of Live Birth not require signatures?
The philosophy of the Certificate of Live Birth implemented in January 2004, was based on an electronic process to register vital events not on a word processing package to complete a paper document. The slow flow of information based on a paper system greatly reduces its value. To ensure the viability of South Carolina’s Vital Statistics Systems in the electronic age, the method of registration was changed to improve both the timeliness of registration and the quality of the entered data. A Certificate of Live Birth is a legal abstract of the records established surrounding the birth of an infant. Original signatures of the attendant and/or the certifier should be recorded in either the mother’s medical record or the infant’s medical record. Therefore, original signatures are not required on the abstract.
