Flutterby™! : AMA on removing gender designation from birth certificates

American Medical Association June Special HOD 2021 Meeting Reference Committee D, on the matter of "Removing the Sex Designation from the Public Portion of the Birth Certificate (Resolution 5-I-19)":

CONCLUSION 18

Vital statistics data is a fundamental source of health information. In the U.S., the Standard Certificates of Live Birth form is the primary means by which uniformity of data collection and processing is achieved. Birth certificates, on the other hand, are issued by the government to individuals as proof of birth. Sex designation, as collected through the standard form and included on the birth certificate, refers to the biological difference between males and females. Today, the majority of states (48) and the District of Columbia allow people to amend their sex designation on their birth certificate to reflect their individual gender identities, but only 10 states allow for a gender-neutral designation, typically “X,” on the birth certificate. Existing AMA policy recognizes that every individual has the right to determine their gender identity and sex designation on government documents. To protect individual privacy and to prevent discrimination, U.S. jurisdictions should remove sex designation on the birth certificate. While validation of gender has been raised as a concern with this approach, other government documents could serve this purpose in many jurisdictions. Furthermore, removal of sex designation from the birth certificate would have little to no impact on vital statistics data collected for medical, public health, and statistical purposes.