Just when you thought the insanity was starting to subside with Democrats out of office, we learn last week that New Jersey hospitals are now requesting parents to specify their baby’s preferred pronouns and sexual orientation , according to a report from the NY Post.
Inspira Health’s “Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Questionnaire” asks parents to “identify” their baby as “Male, Female, Transgender, GenderQueer,” or “Additional gender category.”
The healthcare system, which runs multiple hospitals and centers in South Jersey, introduced the form last year to comply with a new state law requiring providers to collect demographic and identity data “in a culturally competent and sensitive manner.”
One 34 year old resident told the Post: “That form is completely crazy, and anyone who would dictate a baby’s sexual orientation probably has an agenda. If I was told to fill this out, I’d rip it up in front of them. It feels like we’ve entered ‘The Twilight Zone.’”
Another mom-to-be commented: “Identifying my baby as gay on Day 1 is insane. I had no idea about this form and I’m shocked.”
New Jersey State Sen. Holly Schepisi (R-Bergen) criticized the form, calling it “lacking such common sense” and having “no medical value.” She noted how overwhelming childbirth is, saying, “To be handed that sort of form in the midst of all that has no medical value, it makes no sense.”
Schepisi sparked debate by sharing a photo of the form on Facebook, with many questioning its authenticity. She plans to introduce a bill next week to restrict such data collection to patients 16 and older, arguing the mandate was rushed through the legislature with little scrutiny.
“What was the genesis of this bill?” she asked. “How did it move so quickly with barely any committee hearings on it?” She also speculated that the data might be sold for an undisclosed purpose.
The NY Post report claims that the bill, introduced by Democratic State Sens. Joseph Cryan and Angela McKnight on June 23, 2022, was modeled after an Indiana law. Democrat Herbert Conaway, who also worked on it, defended the measure, stating, “The bill is designed to provide public health officials with the data they need to develop public health measures that effectively serve all New Jerseyans.”
He emphasized that “no patient or parent is obligated to answer any question that makes them uncomfortable.”
An Inspira Health representative confirmed the form is “required by New Jersey law” but that parents “are permitted to decline to provide this information.” The health system sought a waiver from the state, but it has not yet been granted. Meanwhile, NYC hospitals confirmed they do not collect such data, the report concludes.
