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May 09, 2026

Oklahoma, Louisiana to Require Coroners Include Vaccine Records in SIDS Autopsies

Two states this week moved to require that vaccine records be included in the autopsy reports of children who die from unexplained causes. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt on Wednesday signed a bill requiring medical examiners to document recent immunizations on the death certificates of children who died from unknown causes.

On Thursday, a Louisiana bill, “A Voice for the Voiceless,” passed the House with a 76-12 vote. The Senate unanimously passed the bill in March. It’s now headed to the desk of Gov. Jeff Landry, who is expected to sign it. Current law requires coroners who designate a death as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), Sudden Unexpected Infant Death, Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome or Sudden Death in the Young — all of which refer to a sudden death with no discernible cause — to report the death and designation to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Oklahoma and Louisiana bills amend the existing public health law by directing coroners to document any vaccines administered within 90 days of death on autopsy reports for children under age 15 who died unexpectedly and without explanation.

Medical researcher and SIDS expert Neil Z. Miller, author of numerous books on vaccine safety, told The Defender in an earlier interview that “of course” such legislation is a good idea. “A child never dies from ‘unknown causes,’” Miller said. “There is always a reason for death. Often, that reason is vaccines. But medical examiners may be ‘hesitant’ to list vaccines as the probable cause due to intense pressure from medical colleagues.” The legislation would relieve that pressure.

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