Rep. Robyn Porter proposed an amendment to House Bill 5454 to add the term “pregnant mothers” during state funding discussions Thursday.
Lawmakers voted 32-16 to adopt the term “mothers,” achieved through Republicans and members of the legislature’s Black and Puerto Rican Caucus.
The leading proponent of the original “pregnant persons” language in the bill introduced by the Human Services Committee was Rep. Jillian Gilchrest.
A Connecticut Democrat successfully introduced new legislation amended to include the phrase “pregnant mothers” after calling the woke alternative, “pregnant people,” offensive.
State Rep. Robyn Porter, a Democrat representing New Haven, proposed an amendment to House Bill 5454 to add the term “pregnant mothers” during discussions on a state funding bill Thursday.
‘My children call me mom, ma, mommy. It depends on the day,” Porter said Thursday. ‘I don’t respond to pregnant people or people giving birth. That’s not what I respond to.
‘A big part of my identity revolves around being a mother and grandmother. “So I find it an affront that someone tries to tell me that what they are putting in writing for policy purposes covers me when I tell them that it doesn’t,” she continued.
State Rep. Robyn Porter, a Democrat representing New Haven, proposed an amendment to House Bill 5454 to add the term “pregnant mothers” during discussions on a state funding bill Thursday.
The leading proponent of the original “pregnant persons” language in the bill, introduced by the Human Services Committee, was Rep. Jillian Gilchrest.
The bill was originally floated by the Human Services Committee before reaching appropriations to add the phrase “pregnant mothers” into lines five and six.
The original lines of the bill read ‘…create a strategic plan to maximize federal and state resources for mental health services for children six years of age and younger, their caregivers, and pregnant persons.’
Lawmakers voted 32 to 16 to adopt the term “mothers” after a 35-minute debate.
The unexpected decision was reached through a coalition of Republicans and members of the legislature’s Black and Puerto Rican Caucus, with all 16 dissenting votes coming from Democrats.
Porter said: ‘Do we want to talk about discrimination? Well, I’m here to tell you that black people in America know this very well.
‘This is where I really feel frustrated in this building because what we say is dismissed, ignored, disrespected. … I am always asked to make concessions when I sit at the table, and I am expected to do so.
And she added: “First we were mothers. Yes, times are changing, and I’m okay with that because that’s life… But you can’t grow, and you can’t talk about diversity, equity and inclusion and exclude me and other women. like me who identify as mothers. You can not do that.’
She said some women “want to be called mothers.” What’s wrong with that?’
Lawmakers voted 32-16 to adopt the term “mothers” after a 35-minute debate (state Rep. Robyn Porter, pictured Oct. 26).
The bill was originally floated by the Human Services Committee before reaching appropriations to add the phrase “pregnant mothers” in lines five and six (pictured, Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, Democratic state representative in the 18th district of Connecticut).
The main proponent of the original “pregnant persons” language in the bill was Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, a Democrat from West Hartford.
“The term pregnant person is actually an inclusive term,” Gilchrest said. ‘It is a gender-neutral term and would encompass pregnant women and pregnant women.
‘As we talk about DEI, this is the direction we hope to take in this state and ideally across the country.
‘That’s why the term ‘pregnant people’ is more inclusive, so I would ask my colleagues to oppose the amendment.’
Many legislators representing the state’s major urban cities came out in support of Porter’s amendment.
State Rep. Geraldo Reyes, a Democrat from Waterbury and a leading figure in the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus, emphasized the cultural importance of motherhood.
‘Culturally, as a Puerto Rican, there is nothing more sacred than a mother… There is only one mother… Just as I oppose the word Latinx, I oppose the word pregnant person,’ he said.
Similarly, Rep. Minnie Gonzalez, D-Hartford, endorsed Porter’s amendment and emphasized her support for the LGBT community.
‘It’s nothing against the LGBT community. It’s not about them,’ she said. ‘Nothing against them. We support them… We recognize that they have rights, but where are my rights? I have the right to defend my rights.’
Rep. Anthony Nolan, a Democrat from New London, then highlighted the importance of the word “mother” in black communities.
“I’m just amazed by some of the things that are being said,” he said. ‘In black culture, which really has the word mother ingrained, if we went home and called our mother anything other than mother, we would end up with a slap in the face.
‘We are not going to eliminate anything. We’re just asking to add something that is dear to those who speak about it, especially in black culture.’
Last year, the CDC came under fire for “appalling” new health guidance in which it replaced the word “women” with the gender-neutral term “pregnant people.”
The CDC’s flu vaccination guidance, which was updated on September 7, 2023, did not mention pregnant women and instead used the term “pregnant people.”
DailyMail.com found that all gender-specific terms, including “she,” “her,” “woman” and “mother,” were removed from the CDC’s recommendations for the respiratory virus and Covid vaccines, when Updated last month.
Last year, the CDC came under fire for “appalling” new health guidance in which it replaced the word “women” with the gender-neutral term “pregnant people.”
The elimination of the term woman can be seen in the recommendations for a series of respiratory virus vaccines for pregnant women.
This includes material promoting vaccines against Covid, flu and RSV, a common respiratory condition that affects older adults and young children most.
Although usually mild, all three viruses can be fatal in pregnant women.
All gender-specific terms, including “she,” “her,” “woman,” and “mother,” were replaced with gender-neutral terms such as “pregnant people” and “pregnant person.”
One doctors’ organization said the CDC was “cowering to political forces” at the expense of good medical advice at the time.