In a move that has sparked controversy, New Jersey hospitals have begun asking parents to specify their newborns' preferred pronouns and sexual orientation.
This unusual request is part of Inspira Health's "Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Questionnaire," which requires parents to categorize their infants as "Male, Female, Transgender, Gender Queer," or an "Additional gender category." The questionnaire further prompts parents to describe their baby as "Lesbian or gay, Straight or heterosexual, Self-described, Questioning/Unsure."
According to The New York Post, the healthcare system, which operates several hospitals, cancer centers, and health centers throughout South Jersey, introduced the form last year. This move was in response to a new law in the Garden State that mandated healthcare providers to gather data on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity in a culturally sensitive manner. However, the questionnaire has been met with widespread criticism, with many parents and politicians labeling it as absurd.
Sandy Anello, a mother of two from Bridgewater, NJ, expressed her disbelief, stating, "That form is completely crazy, and anyone who would dictate a babys sexual orientation probably has an agenda." She added, "If I was told to fill this out, Id rip it up in front of them. It feels like weve entered The Twilight Zone.'"
Carsen Rodgers, a Jersey City mom-to-be, echoed Anello's sentiments, saying, "Identifying my baby as gay on Day 1 is insane. I had no idea about this form and Im shocked."
New Jersey State Sen. Holly Schepisi (R-Bergen) also criticized the questionnaire, calling it senseless and devoid of any medical value. She said, "As a mom myself, I know youre exhausted after giving birth, youve got a crying newborn and youre trying to figure out how to feed it. To be handed that sort of form in the midst of all that has no medical value, it makes no sense."
Schepisi plans to introduce a bill next week to amend the New Jersey mandate's language, proposing to limit the collection of such data to patients aged 16 and older. She expressed concern over the swift approval of the state measure, which was added to a package of bills approved by Trenton on June 30, 2022, without extensive committee hearings.
The senator also raised suspicions about the potential misuse of the demographic data collected, suggesting that someone might be purchasing the information from the state for a specific purpose. The bill's authors, Democratic New Jersey State Sens. Joseph Cryan and Angela McKnight, declined to comment on the issue.
Former assemblyman and current House of Representatives member, Democrat Herbert Conaway, who also worked on the bill, defended it. He said, "The bill was modeled after an Indiana statute and is designed to provide public health officials with the data they need to develop public health measures that effectively serve all New Jerseyans."
Conaway emphasized that good policy relies on the availability of complete and accurate data. He clarified that while hospitals are required to collect and report demographic data on the patients they serve, no patient or parent is obligated to answer any question that makes them uncomfortable.
Meanwhile, representatives for NYC hospitals confirmed that they do not collect such data. An Inspira Health representative stated that the questionnaire is "required by New Jersey law" but noted that parents "are permitted to decline to provide this information." Inspira is currently seeking a waiver from the state, but it has not yet been granted.
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