Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is defending the practice of listing individuals’ biological sex on birth certificates. He says changing the sex years later on those certificates is wrong.

“The purpose of a birth certificate is obviously to establish a record of biological birth and certain relevant factual details of that occasion. To change the designated sex on a birth certificate at a later date is in effect falsifying that document,” said Rokita.

The Indiana Supreme Court is reviewing whether the judicial branch has the authority to order changes in the designated sex on birth certificates. While Indiana General Assembly possesses the authority to pass a law permitting such changes, Rokita says the courts do not.

In a brief written by Rokita, he brings up a case where a mother filed a petition with a court asking to change a 7-year-old child’s designated sex from male to female. Documents say the child has been treated as a girl since the age of 2.

“We all should care about and sympathize with our fellow Hoosiers’ specific life experiences. By insisting on public policies that serve the greater good, we ultimately reinforce that principle rather than diminish it,” said Rokita.​