About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline

2021 Op. Mich. Att'y Gen. 1 (2021)

handle is hein.sag/sagmi0148 and id is 1 raw text is: The following opinion is presented on-line for informational use only and does not replace the official version. (Mich. Dept. of
Attorney General Web Site - http://www.ag.state.mi.us)
STATE OF MICHIGAN
DANA NESSEL, ATTORNEY GENERAL
CONSTITUTIONAL LAW:                        Constitutionality of the sex-reassignment
surgery requirement of MCL 333.2831(c).
US CONST, AM XIV:
CONST 1963, ART 1, § 2:
CONST 1963, ART 1, § 17:
PUBLIC HEALTH CODE:                        Changing the sex designation on a birth
certificate.
VITAL RECORDS:
The sex-reassignment surgery required by MCL 333.2831(c) to change the sex designation on a birth
certificate is unconstitutional because it violates an individual's equal protection rights under the United
States and Michigan Constitutions.
The sex-reassignment surgery required by MCL 333.2831(c) to change the sex designation on a birth
certificate may also violate an individual's due process rights under the United States and Michigan
Constitutions.
Opinion No. 7313                  June 30, 2021
Elizabeth Hertel, Director
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
333 South Grand Avenue
P.O. Box 30195
Lansing, MI 48909
You have asked whether MCL 333.2831(c) violates the constitutional rights of Michigan-born persons who
seek to amend their birth certificate to alter their sex designation assigned at birth to reflect their present
gender identity.
Background
Section 2831(c) establishes the only method by which Michigan-born individuals can change the sex
designation on their birth certificates. To take advantage of this provision, an individual is required to
submit both: (1) a written request that a new certificate be established to show a sex designation other than
that designated at birth; and (2) an affidavit of a physician certifying that sex-reassignment surgery has
been performed. MCL 333.2831(c). This opinion focuses only on the constitutionality of the second
requirement.

Legal Principles

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Contact us for annual subscription options:

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

profiles profiles most