Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers sparked outcry and received backlash after introducing a proposed bill last week that changed the word "mother" to "inseminated person," among other things.
The bill in question is a biennial budget proposal that replaced sex-specific words in state code with gender-neutral alternatives, using the terms "inseminated person" for "mother" and "person" for "man."
Addition of Inclusive Terminology
In addition, the proposed bill's section on challenges to a child's paternity also changed some words, such as "parentage" for "paternity, " and replaced the word "father" with "natural parent."
Following the reveal of the proposed bill, Wisconsin Senate President Mary Felzkowski criticized what she claimed was Democratic lawmakers' attempt to "erase women, the institution of marriage, and the family unit."
In a statement on Monday, Felkowzski said the Evers administration's actions were disgusting. She added that it was becoming clear that the Wisconsin governor wanted the government to raise children and "erase the concept of 'mom and dad' altogether," according to the Washington Times.
The Republican lawmakers also noted that Evers' proposal replaced the word "father" with terms such as "natural parent" more than 100 times throughout its content. The executive director of the Republican Governors Associated, Sara Craig, said that the proposed changes were "offensive to mothers."
An Offensive Move to Mothers
Craig argued that Evers' latest left-wing effort is not only out of touch but is also a blow to mothers. She said that being a mother is the "greatest privilege I will have in my lifetime," adding that every single mother knows that particular feeling.
The controversy over Evers' proposed bill changing various terms is due to an ongoing national debate regarding gendered terminology in the United States. Over the past few years, terms such as "chestfeeding" instead of "breastfeeding" and "birthing person" instead of "mother" have resulted in heated arguments over language and inclusivity, the Times of India reported.
U.S. President Donald Trump has publicly expressed his disagreement with using such terminology and signed an executive order on his first day in office. It was titled "Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government."
In addition, the Republican leader signed an executive order that barred transgender student-athletes from participating in NCAA women's sports. The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association changed its policies on Feb. 21, 2025, so that only athletes "designated as females at birth" will be allowed to compete in girls' competitions, as per JS Online.
