Hospitals ask parents to ‘identify’ pronouns and sexual orientation of newborn babies – ‘It’s insane!’
A set of hospitals have sparked controversy by asking parents to identify the sexual orientation and gender identity of their newborn babies.
US-based Inspira Health’s “Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Questionnaire” requires new parents to categorise their infants in ways many find absurd.
The form asks parents to select whether their baby is “male, female, transgender, gender queer” or fits an “additional gender category”.
Parents are also expected to describe their newborn as “lesbian or gay, straight or heterosexual, self-described, or questioning/unsure.”
The questionnaire was created last year to comply with a New Jersey law requiring healthcare providers to collect demographic data “in a culturally competent and sensitive manner”.
But parents and public figures alike have voiced their outrage at the form’s existence.
“That form is completely crazy, and anyone who would dictate a baby’s sexual orientation probably has an agenda,” said Sandy Anello, a mother of two.
“Identifying my baby as gay on day one is insane,” added Carsen Rodgers, who is currently pregnant.
Republican New Jersey State Senator Holly Schepisi, meanwhile, told the New York Post: “The entire thing lacks such common sense, and serves no purpose whatsoever.”
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Schepisi shared a photo of the form on Facebook, prompting disbelief from many commenters.
She has also vowed to introduce legislation next week to change the rules and limit data collection like this to patients aged 16 and older.
The senator also voiced concerns about the law’s rapid approval in June 2022 with minimal committee hearings – and said she suspects someone may be purchasing the demographic data from the state.
The bill was introduced by Democratic State Senators Joseph Cryan and Angela McKnight, who have refused to comment on the matter.
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But former assemblyman Herbert Conaway, now a House Representative, defended the legislation.
“The bill was modelled after an Indiana statute, and is designed to provide public health officials with the data they need,” Conaway said.
He added that “no patient or parent is obligated to answer any question that makes them uncomfortable”.
An Inspira Health representative defended the questionnaire, stating it is “required by New Jersey law” whilst noting parents “are permitted to decline to provide this information”.