Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1942 )

OFFICE OF THP: AYTORNEY GENERAL OF T-G AUSTIN QDULPGMLWM W’ A-- _... .--.-... ..__ .._ .,. -. __._ 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