§ 25-2-102 — Definitions

Colorado § 25-2-102

• Jurisdiction: Colorado
• Title 25: Public
• Art.: Vital Statistics

Text

As used in this article 2, unless the context otherwise
requires:

(1) Dead body means a lifeless human body or parts of such body or bones
thereof from the state of which it reasonably may be concluded that death recently
occurred.

(1.5) Document memorializing the decedent's gender or document
memorializing the decedent's gender identity includes any of the following:

(a) A court order approving a legal name or gender change;

(b) Written instructions from the decedent;

(c) A health-care directive;

(d) Proof of clinical treatment for a gender transition;

(e) Documentation of a change to the gender marker on the decedent's birth
certificate; or

(f) A driver's license.

(2) Fetal death means death prior to the complete expulsion or extraction
from its mother of a product of human conception, irrespective of the duration of
pregnancy. The death is indicated by the fact that after such expulsion or
extraction the fetus does not breathe or show any other evidence of life such as
beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of
voluntary muscles.

(2.5) Final disposition means the burial, interment, cremation, natural
reduction, removal from the state, or other authorized disposition of a dead body or
fetus.

(2.6) Gender identity means an individual's innate sense of the individual's
own gender, which may or may not correspond with the individual's sex assigned at
birth and is designated on a certificate of death as male, female, or X, which is a
sex designation that is neither male nor female.

(2.7) Induced termination of pregnancy means the purposeful interruption
of a pregnancy with an intention other than producing a live-born infant or removing
a dead fetus and that does not result in a live birth.

(3) Institution means any establishment which provides inpatient medical,
surgical, or diagnostic care or treatment or nursing, custodial, or domiciliary care to
two or more unrelated individuals or to which persons are committed by law.

(3.5) Physician means a person licensed to practice medicine in Colorado
pursuant to article 240 of title 12.

(4) Regulations means regulations duly adopted pursuant to section 25-2-103.

(4.3) State registrar means the office of the state registrar of vital
statistics created in section 25-2-103 (1).

(4.5) Stillborn death or stillbirth means death prior to the complete
expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of human conception,
occurring after the twentieth week of pregnancy, and does not include induced
termination of pregnancy, as defined by subsection (2.7) of this section. The death
is indicated by the fact that after such expulsion or extraction the fetus does not
breathe or show any other evidence of life such as beating of the heart, pulsation of
the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles.

(5) Vital statistics certificate means any certificate required by section 25-2-110, 25-2-112, or 25-2-112.3.

(6) Vital statistics report means any report required by section 25-2-106 or
25-2-107.

Legislative History

Source: L. 67: R&RE, p. 1056, � 1. C.R.S. 1963: � 66-8-2. L. 84: (2.5) and (3.5) added and (6) amended, p. 742, � 3, effective July 1. L. 2000: (2.7) added, p. 1073, � 1, effective August 2. L. 2001: (4.5) added, p. 439, � 1, effective August 8. L. 2004: (4.5) and (5) amended, p. 473, � 1, effective July 1. L. 2019: IP and (3.5) amended, (HB 19-1172), ch. 136, p. 1700, � 149, effective October 1. L. 2021: (2.5) amended, (SB 21-006), ch. 123, p. 497, � 24, effective September 7. L. 2025: (1.5) and (2.6) added, (HB 25-1109), ch. 73, p. 314, � 1, effective April 17; (4.3) added, (SB 25-275), ch. 377, p. 2077, � 208, effective August 6.