Hi Mel,

I know i'm replying to a post posted last year but I'm in a similar situation and I just don't know what to do. My daughter passed away unexpectedly and traumatically 3 years ago and we since have a little baby brother for my daughter about a year later. I was in shock when I opened up my sons birth certificate when it arrived and saw the word 'deceased' next to my daughters name. Her name is Alyssa. I never ever ever thought that they would be so insensitive to be so blunt! I rang birth, marriages and death department and i was told that its a procedure for them to do so, something about centrelink. I've emailed them and rang them again earlier this year and told them that they could for example put an * or () or something next to my daughters name on my sons birth cert and have a footnote indicating what the legend means. I told them that a birth cert is suppose to be a sign of 'celebration of life' not an indication of the past as well. I was thinking or writing to my local federal member to see if he can help change this practice, or maybe get enough signatures for them to change it? I'm pretty sure there are lots of parents out there who want to do something about it but do not know where to start.