Some social media users are circulating a conspiracy theory about birth certificates and Social Security numbers.
"Did you know that when you register YOUR baby with the state and are given a BIRTH CERTIFICATE/SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER in return, your baby becomes PROPERTY/WARD of that state?" reads part of a Dec. 9 Instagram post (direct link, archived link).
The post claims those records can lead to the government and child protective services taking away a baby if the mother is deemed negligent. It includes a video purportedly showing New Zealand police taking custody of a baby with a heart condition from parents who refused blood from vaccinated people for the baby’s surgery.
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The post generated over 1,600 likes in less than two weeks.
But the claim is baseless.
Multiple legal experts told USA TODAY that birth certificates and Social Security numbers do not make babies property of the state. And the process of taking custody of a child has nothing to do with these records, either.
USA TODAY reached out to the social media users who shared the claim for comment.
There is no truth to the claim, Susan Cancelosi, an associate professor of law at Wayne State University, told USA TODAY in an email.
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