The first words out of my son’s mouth were “Mom” and “Dad,” words that capture the beautiful, natural reality of human life and family. Yet New York’s Democrat-controlled legislature has passed a bill that seeks to erase these foundational terms from state law, replacing “mother” with the clinical “gestating parent” and “father” with the soulless “non-gestating parent.” “Paternity” becomes “parentage,” and “putative father” yields to “alleged parent.” This Orwellian rewrite now sits on Governor Kathy Hochul’s desk.
Mothers gestate and give birth; fathers provide the other half of the biological equation. These roles are not interchangeable social constructs.
Proponents frame the legislation as a modest update to align family court statutes, domestic relations law, and education provisions with the 2021 Child-Parent Security Act, which legalized gestational surrogacy in New York. They argue that traditional terms are “outdated” and fail to accommodate modern family structures — same-sex couples, assisted reproduction, surrogacy, and LGBTQ+ parents. By adopting gender-neutral language, the bill purportedly promotes “inclusivity,” ensures equal application of parental rights regardless of gender or method of family formation, and reduces awkward legal contortions in custody, child support, and parentage proceedings affecting tens of thousands of cases annually.
This rationale might sound reasonable in a legislative memo. In practice, it represents the latest triumph of radical gender ideology over biological reality, common sense, and the well-being of families. The core problem is not technical modernization. Existing law already handles surrogacy, adoption, and diverse family situations without stripping away the words that have described parenthood across cultures and millennia. Mothers gestate and give birth; fathers provide the other half of the biological equation.
These roles are not interchangeable social constructs — they are rooted in immutable biology, evolutionary science, and the observable reality that has sustained civilization. Pretending otherwise does not expand rights; it confuses language, burdens courts, and signals to children that their natural family bonds are politically inconvenient.
This bill is of a piece with the broader gender ideology that insists men can become pregnant, that biological males belong in women’s sports and spaces, and that young children should be encouraged to question their sex before they can tie their shoes. It prioritizes feelings and virtue-signaling over science and child welfare. Decades of research in psychology, pediatrics, and sociology affirm the unique and complementary contributions of mothers and fathers to child development — emotional security, cognitive growth, and long-term outcomes. Sterilizing that truth into “gestating” and “non-gestating” parent does real harm, especially to the next generation raised in a world of deliberate linguistic ambiguity.
For Democrats who champion this, the mask has slipped. What began as tolerance has metastasized into an anti-family crusade that obliterates the foundational truths of biology and identity to appease activists. Governor Hochul, who has styled herself New York’s “mom governor,” should veto this bill immediately. Her office has signaled awareness that “mothers are mothers and fathers are fathers,” but actions speak louder than spin. Unfortunately, Hochul’s record, like most Democrats, is caving to the radicals on the far-left.
Parents across New York and America must speak up. The sacred roles of mother and father are not government property to be redefined at whim. Our children deserve the clarity and dignity of knowing that families begin with the timeless bond between Mom and Dad, whatever additional forms love may take. This is not about excluding anyone; it is about refusing to let radical ideology erase the natural order that serves children best.
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Capano has been an adjunct political science professor for over two decades and has worked in senior positions with Republican and Democrat elected officials in New York. X: @bobcapano
