Call to Action! SB 162, prohibiting changes of sex on birth certificates
March 14, 2023 | Austin, TX
The Senate State Affairs Committee will conduct a hearing at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 16 on a bill that seeks to prohibit changes in gender on birth certificates for certain minors.
SB 162 is authored by Senator Charles Perry of Lubbock, District 28.
From Perry’s analysis of the bill, “Current state statute on birth certificates leaves the contents of the birth certificate up to the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) with the exception of the parent's social security numbers. Current rule at DSHS requires birth certificates to include a number of other criteria, including "sex" if known.
The current process to change the sex listed on a birth certificate in Texas requires a court order. However, Texas statute does not specify what is required to be submitted to a judge, and it is up to individual judges to decide what documents are required.
SB 162 requires by statute that birth certificates list the biological sex of the newborn. The doctor or person responsible for filing the paperwork must ensure that the biological sex of the child is listed.
If it is determined by the physician that the child was born intersex, the sex does not have to be listed at that time.
SB 162 prohibits the sex listed on the birth certificate of a minor from being changed unless the change is to correct a clerical error, or to complete the birth certificate if the sex was not listed, or if the child is intersex and the sex is later determined.
As proposed, SB 162 amends current law relating to the required inclusion of a person's sex on a birth certificate and prohibited change of sex on the birth certificate of certain minors.”
Take Action
Brandon Creighton (SD-4)
(512) 463-0104 (Austin Office)
(281) 292-4128 (District Office)
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Lois Kolkhorst (SD-18)
(512) 463-0118 (Austin Office)
(979) 251-7888 (District Office)
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Paul Bettencourt (SD-7)
(512) 463-0107 (Austin Office)
(713) 464-0282 (District Office)
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