Boy or girl? If it was up to the American Medical Association (AMA), not even parents would know.
Once again revealing the organization’s highly politicized motives, the AMA said sex should be removed as a legal designation on birth certificates.
WebMD on X (formerly Twitter): “Sex should be removed as a legal designation on the public part of birth certificates, the American Medical Association (AMA) said Monday. https://t.co/U9w38qvwtV pic.twitter.com/NeIPafpv3T / X”
Sex should be removed as a legal designation on the public part of birth certificates, the American Medical Association (AMA) said Monday. https://t.co/U9w38qvwtV pic.twitter.com/NeIPafpv3T
“Designating sex on birth certificates as male or female, and making that information available on the public portion, perpetuates a view that sex designation is permanent and fails to recognize the medical spectrum of gender identity. This type of categorization system also risks stifling an individual’s self-expression and self-identification and contributes to marginalization and minoritization,” said AMA Board Chair-Elect Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, M.D.
A person’s biological sex would still be submitted to the U.S. Standard Certificate of Live Birth for medical, public health, and statistical use. Requiring public designation of sex, the AMA said, could lead to discrimination against transgenders when they register for school or sports, adopt, get married, or request personal records.
Robert Jackson, MD, who’s with the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, told WebMD Health News he opposed the measure.
“We as physicians need to report things accurately,” Jackson said. “All through medical school, residency, and specialty training we were supposed to delegate all of the physical findings of the patient we’re taking care of. I think when the child is born, they do have physical characteristics either male or female and I think that probably should be on the public record. That’s just my personal opinion.”
The obvious should be stated: Biological sex accounts for medical differences. The AMA has faced plenty of backlash for wanting to eliminate this important biological distinguishment. In some cases, it could mean the difference between life or death. In 2019, a biological female who identified as a male birthed a stillborn baby because ER nurses didn’t think to check if she was pregnant.
By neglecting to specify sex on the hard copy of a birth certificate, medical professionals could improperly treat someone. But instead of recognizing medical truths, the AMA is rallying behind people who flat out deny biology.
The AMA supports health care for transgender children, noting that “it is imperative that transgender minors be given the opportunity to explore their gender identity under the safe and supportive care of a physician.” For an organization that blindly supports genital mutation on minors, it’s no surprise that they want to eliminate sex on a birth certificate.
