New Zealand moves closer to passing 'self-identification' law

FILE PHOTO: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern participates in a televised debate in Auckland, New Zealand, September 22, 2020. Fiona Goodall/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand progressed with its plans to make it easier to change a person's sex on their birth certificate on Wednesday as legislation moved through parliament with support from all political parties.

The self-identification bill was introduced to ensure New Zealand has the best process for transgender, non-binary and intersex people to formally acknowledge their gender, the government said in a statement, after the bill had its second reading in parliament on Wednesday.