That is incorrect.
Abstracted certificates (a.k.a., "short forms") are what is used most often for official purposes. (Though some short forms omit parent information, and those are sometimes insufficient for things like passports.)
Both my children have been issued computer-generated forms that list simply: Name, D.o.B, Place of Birth (City and State), Father and Mother names with ages and places of birth, the certificate filed date, certificate number, signature of registrar and issue date and seal. These have been sufficient for DMV purposes (in multiple states) and for issuance of passports.
Furthermore, the printed certification says: "I do hereby certify that the above is a true copy of the essential facts recorded on the birth record on file in this office for the individual named hereon." Nothing is said about verifying an ORIGINAL birth record, or that such is a "true and complete copy of the original birth record" or other such stuff some here have erroneously asserted is necessary to serve as legally sufficient evidence of the birth facts.
A true long form (i.e, a copy of the vault original containing things like the hospital, doctor's name, parent residence, racial information, doctor/mother signatures, etc.) is not needed for official purposes.
There has been a rule change however and some older abstract birth certificates may not meet the newer requirement:
“As of April 1, 2011, the U.S. Department of State requires the full names of the applicant’s parent(s) to be listed on all certified birth certificates to be considered as primary evidence of U.S. citizenship for all passport applicants, regardless of age. Certified birth certificates missing this information are no longer acceptable as evidence of citizenship.”
“The Department recognizes that some passport applicants will not have two parents registered on their birth certificates due to circumstances such as an unknown father or a single-parent adoption case. In these cases, a passport applicant may submit a certified copy of a birth certificate listing the complete name of the registering parent. Regarding two parents adopting a child, the parents may amend the birth certificate of their child to reflect both of their complete names. Though requirements differ slightly across the country, states generally make it easy to amend a birth certificate to list adoptive parents. In adoption cases, the Department will also accept the certified copy of the child’s original birth certificate as long as it is submitted with the certified copy of the adoption decree indicating the name of the child and his or her adoptive parents.”
Abstracted certificates (a.k.a., “short forms”) are what is used most often for official purposes. (Though some short forms omit parent information, and those are sometimes insufficient for things like passports.)
Do a google search on the legal definition of an abstracted birth certificate copy, what information it may or may not contain and it's validity and legality as an official document.
It is needed for One official purpose. To Demonstrate that a man who went through life claiming to be from Kenya, is in fact actually born in the United States rather than having just a bunch of knocked up paperwork from the Porous back door border of that Democrat Island in the Pacific.
That is, if he wants to get on the Presidential Ballot. Fortunately for him, we have 50 States with Idiots for Election officials.