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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | April 19, 2023 02:59 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Benjamin V. Sanchez |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Dying with Dignity: Affirming Gender Identity in Death Certificates |
Death is a natural process of life that can affect the lives of everyone around us when our time comes. The impact of our bonds, memories, accomplishments, and failures resonates long past our time in our communities, and regularly we are remembered for how we made our families and friends feel. And while our information is recorded on a death certificate, for some Pennsylvanians, it does not always fully reflect our individuality, personality, and identity. It is for this reason that I intend to introduce legislation to allow a person’s gender identity to be recorded on their death certificate accurately by adding a third designation to the “sex” section of the form by including a check box for “non-binary”. Allowing people to include their authentic self onto government documents is nothing new, as Pennsylvania recently permitted drivers to include their accurate gender identity on their state ID’s with the inclusion of the “U” option. A person would be able to either pre-file this designation before they pass away or allow funeral directors to record their affirmative designation upon their death. This legislation provides people with the dignity they deserve not only in life but in death as well and will allow future generations to better understand who comprises their family tree. Please join me in co-sponsoring this legislation and let us allow everyone to rest in peace. |
Introduced as HB1597