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Children’s issues: Child gets non-gender-specific health card

Written by: HHLaw (View All Posts ) Published: August 14, 2019
Categorized: Children's Issues.

Babies born today may be registered at birth with a nonspecific gender. A child born in British Columbia was issued a health card without identifying a specific gender. When it comes to children’s issues — this is the first time this had been done ever anywhere in the world. Experts said it may be paving the way for birth certificates to be issued in the same way.

The parent of the child identifies as nonbinary transgender and wants the child to choose “their” own gender when old enough. The child’s family does not use the he or she pronouns when referring to the child, but use the pronoun, their. Eight individuals, including the parent of this child, are petitioning the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal for the right to change their own birth certificates.

The health card of the child in question has the letter U in the space where sex is indicated. The U can mean unassigned or undetermined. Currently, a child must be known as either male or female on a birth certificate in all Canadian provinces and territories. The parent is fighting to have this abolished. The gender on a birth certificate can be changed if gender reassignment surgery has taken place.

British Columbia is the first province to ever assign a non gender-specific card of any kind. Parents who have questions regarding children’s issues and provincial laws may find it helpful to get the advice of a lawyer experienced in these laws in the province. Parents are beholden to do what is in the best interests of their children and if they have questions about confusing laws, a lawyer may be able to enlighten them.

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