Stanford University School of Medicine, USA.
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, USA.
Soc Sci Med. 2022 Jan;293:114633. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114633. Epub 2021 Dec 9.
Birth certificates are some of the most critical identity documents available to current residents of the United States, yet sexual and gender minority (SGM) parents frequently face barriers in obtaining accurate documents for their children. It is essential for SGM parents to have accurate birth certificates for their children at the time of birth registration so that they do not experience undue burden in raising their children and establishing their status as legal parents. In this analysis, we focused on the birth registration process in the US as they apply to SGM family-building and the assignation of parentage on birth certificates at the time of a child's birth. We utilized keyword-based search criteria to identify, collect, and tabulate official state policies related to birth registration. Birth registration policies rely on gendered, heteronormative assumptions about the sex and gender of a child's parents in all but three states when identifying the birthing person and in all but eight states when identifying the non-birthing person. We found additional barriers for SGM parents who give birth outside of a marriage or legal union. These barriers leave SGM parents particularly vulnerable to inaccuracies on their children's identity documents and incomplete recognition of their parental roles and rights. Existing birth registration policies also do little to ensure the inclusion of diverse family structures in administrative data collection. There are many ways to modify existing birth registration policies and enhance the inclusion of SGM parents within governmental administrative structures. We conclude with suggestions to improve upon existing birth registration systems by de-linking parental sex and gender from birthing role, parental role, and contribution to the pregnancy.
出生证明是目前居住在美国的人最重要的身份证明文件之一，但性少数群体和跨性别群体 (SGM) 的父母在为孩子获得准确的证明文件时经常面临障碍。SGM 父母在孩子出生时进行出生登记时，为孩子获得准确的出生证明至关重要，这样他们在抚养孩子和确立其合法父母身份时不会承受不必要的负担。在这项分析中，我们重点研究了美国的出生登记程序，因为它们适用于 SGM 家庭建设以及在孩子出生时在出生证明上分配亲权。我们利用基于关键词的搜索标准来识别、收集和制表与出生登记相关的官方州政策。出生登记政策在所有州（除了三个州）在确定分娩者时以及在所有州（除了八个州）在确定非分娩者时都依赖于关于孩子父母的性别和性别的性别和异性恋规范假设。我们发现了在婚姻或合法联盟之外生育的 SGM 父母的额外障碍。这些障碍使 SGM 父母特别容易在其子女的身份证明文件上出现不准确的情况，并且他们的父母角色和权利得不到完整的承认。现有的出生登记政策也几乎没有采取措施来确保在行政数据收集方面包括多样化的家庭结构。有许多方法可以修改现有的出生登记政策，并增强政府行政结构中 SGM 父母的包容性。我们的结论是，通过将父母的性别与分娩角色、父母角色和对怀孕的贡献脱钩，来改善现有的出生登记系统。
