'Inseminated person' vs. 'mother'? Dems keep proving they've lost common sense | Opinion
What's going on in Wisconsin is worth drawing attention to because it's part of a bigger trend among progressives to undermine traditional family values.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers’ budget proposal has created quite the stir in recent days. Now, before you yawn with boredom, hear me out.
Evers, a Democrat, has attracted the ire of Republicans in his state and around the country for some interesting word choices.
Those include booting pesky terms like “mother,” “father,” “husband” and “wife.” Instead of “husband,” “spouse” is inserted. “Mother” is crossed out in lieu of “inseminated person.”
That’s right. Inseminated person.
These proposed word swaps were first noted publicly by Republican state Rep. Amanda Nedweski, who says a review by her staff found dozens of instances where “mother” and “father” were replaced with other words.
“The Governor’s budget bill ERASES MOTHERS AND FATHERS, referring to women as ‘inseminated person(s)’ and fathers as ‘parent(s) who did not give birth,’ ” Nedweski said in a post on Facebook. “This woke gender insanity is EXACTLY what millions of Americans voted against in November. Reducing millions of Wisconsin mothers to nothing more than ideologically driven, virtue signaling jargon like ‘inseminated person(s)’ is not only deeply insulting, it’s anti-woman.”
These changes have attracted nationwide attention and ire, thanks to some high-profile mentions on social media, including from Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk.
In separate posts, Musk has called the “gender-neutral” wording “messed up.”
In another, he opined: “Hi Mom, I mean ‘inseminated person’. This is crazy!!”
I have to agree.
Democrats just lost big to Donald Trump. Did they learn nothing?
What’s going on in Wisconsin is worth drawing attention to because it’s part of a bigger trend among progressives to undermine traditional family values – even the most basic of words – in an effort to push their liberal ideology and obsession with gender identity.
And this is exactly what the country rejected in November when voters chose Donald Trump. President Trump ran in large part on returning to “common sense,” and the majority of Americans agree with him on issues from curbing illegal immigration to banning transgender athletes in women’s sports.
It’s also what helped Trump win all seven battleground states, including Wisconsin.
Swapping the word “mother” for “inseminated person” seems to prove that Democrats like Evers learned nothing from the election.
“Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers’ latest left-wing push isn’t just out of touch, it’s offensive to mothers,” Sara Craig, executive director of the Republican Governors Association, said in a statement. “Being a mother is the greatest privilege I will have in my lifetime, and every mother I know feels the same. If Tony Evers can reduce motherhood to an ‘inseminated person’ then our society is lost.”
Evers appears miffed with all the backlash and has tried to paint Republicans as “anti-IVF,” since many of the word changes in the proposed budget relate to the in vitro fertilization procedure.
He claims the word changes are necessary to protect same-sex couples who have a child through IVF. However, the gender-neutral language goes beyond this one example, and it's unclear what “legal barriers” Evers is seeking to overcome.
As Republicans have observed, this seems a classic example of a solution in search of a problem and “woke virtue signaling.”
Evers has introduced similar language in previous budgets, but it failed to pass in the legislature, which Republicans still control. The fact that it’s gotten more attention this time around points to the fact that the country is sick of these liberal games.
Birthing person? Chestfeeder? Words really do matter, Democrats.
This Wisconsin budget language that many women find offensive is far from an isolated incident. As much as liberals claim to be all about empowering women, they sure work hard to erase them. And they do that by starting with words.
“Inseminated person” was a new phrase for me. But similar terms have grown increasingly popular in recent years, as Democrats wage their gender identity war.
Rather than expectant mothers, we get “birthing people.” Former President Joe Biden used this verbiage in at least one of his budget proposals.
Many media outlets and progressive groups also have gotten on board, doing everything they can to avoid the words “mother” or “pregnant woman.” Instead, they use “desexed” words like chestfeeders, people with periods and bodies with vaginas.
No thanks.
Pretending that biological sex isn’t important or doesn’t exist also can carry serious risks. Thankfully, some women’s health experts have stood up to their woke peers and pointed this out.
In 2022, 10 medical researchers wrote a journal article warning against using these gender-neutral terms, calling them “dehumanizing” and “misleading.”
“Desexing the language of female reproduction has been done with a view to being sensitive to individual needs and as beneficial, kind, and inclusive,” they wrote. “Yet, this kindness has delivered unintended consequences that have serious implications for women and children."
Democrats who back such so-called inclusiveness over reality and common sense do so to their detriment.
The country rejected this cultural overreach in choosing Trump. Will liberals listen?
Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at Paste BN. Contact her at ijacques@usatoday.com or on X, formerly Twitter: @Ingrid_Jacques