US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) new secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In his first move, released a narrower definition of sex.
According to CNN, in guidance released by the agency earlier this week for the US government, public, and external partners, the HHS redefined sex in a more limited way than scientists.
The new definitions came after the US President Donald Trump's January executive orders titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” which require the department to provide “clear guidance” on the sex-based definitions set forth in the order within 30 days.
The new definitions of male, female, girl, boy, and sex are as follows.
Sex: A person’s immutable biological classification as either male or female.
Female: A person of the sex characterised by a reproductive system with the biological function of producing eggs (ova).
Male: A person of the sex characterized by a reproductive system with the biological function of producing sperm.
Woman: An adult human female.
Girl: A minor human female.
Man: An adult human male.
Boy: A minor human male.
Mother: A female parent.
Father: A male parent.
Previously, the federal government defined “sex” in much broader terms as “an individual’s biological status as male, female, or something else.”
Meanwhile, some of the legal and science experts have criticised the new definitions and called them deeply problematic.
Michele Bratcher Goodwin, a health law professor, argued, “What we’ve seen coming from the Trump administration is to proffer matters that are unconstitutional, that are blatantly illegal, that have been shut down by an array of federal judges.”
Experts believe that the definitions will have real effects on healthcare and science and will also create difficulties for doctors in treating patients. They also noted that it will limit research, explaining that the surveys that used to collect information about transgender children may no longer be able to do so.
