Ref: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/birth-death-certificate-digital-ica-2671516

While the physical birth certificate may no longer hold a functional value in a digitized world, it most certainly holds meaning and value to the person to whom it belongs, and more so to the parent(s) of the new born. As humans we confer value and meaning to places, music, buildings, objects, rituals, etc., because through them we form our memories and who we are, our personhood, anchored in time and space. Place a child's birth certificate into the hands of the parent(s) and ask if that very piece of paper holds any meaning to them.

Retain the issuance of the physical birth certificate; not for its function, but for its respect to personhood and as a sacred ritual of state recognition. For memories and for keepsake. There are many things that we can and should digitize, but the certificate of birth, the recognition of a new human being born physically onto this little red dot, should be kept intact.