Massachusetts passes bill erasing 'mother' and 'father' from law

On Tuesday, the Massachusetts Senate unanimously passed a bill that would remove the words “mother” and “father” from certain state laws.

‘Person who gave birth’

Specifically, H.4750 focuses on Chapter 290C of Massachusetts’ General Laws, which relate to children born out of wedlock — or, as they will now be called, “nonmarital children.”

The legislation requires that where the law says “a man and woman” it should instead say “persons,” and any mention of the word “paternity” should be replaced with “parentage.” Instead of the words “his or “her,” the law will now say “their,” and any mention of “mother” will be replaced by the phrase “person who gave birth.” Where the law refers to a child’s “father” it should instead say “other parent.” In place of “mother and father” the law should say “parents.”

Other provisions of the bill require that the word “himself” be changed to “themselves,” and “he” changed to “the person.” Instead of “putative father,” the law should now say “alleged genetic parent.”

The portion of state law that deals with correcting birth certificates will also be amended to state that birth records should include information about the “parentage” of the child and not the “father” of the child.

The changes are significant because they are likely to also strike the words “mother” and “father” from the forms and birth records mentioned in the law. For example, parents of a child born out of wedlock often fill out a form to establish the paternity of the father. Once H.4750 is signed into law, however, parents will fill out a form to establish “parentage” which will likely not contain references to the child’s “mother” or “father.” 

Similarly, birth certificates are also expected to eventually replace the words “mother” and “father” with “person who gave birth” and “other parent.”

A bill for ‘LGBTQ+ equality’

H.4750, also referred to as the Massachusetts Parentage Act, aims to be more “inclusive” by excluding mothers and fathers for gender ideology.

“Let’s go, Massachusetts!” said Governor Maura Healy in favor of the bill. “We’ve been proud to be a national leader and trailblazer when it comes to LGBTQ+ equality, but we’ve got some catching up to do. Let’s pass the Massachusetts Parentage Act to make sure every family has the legal protections they need and deserve.”