State Requiring Parents Declare Newborn's Gender Identity & Sexual Orientation

A New Jersey hospital is raising eyebrows over a form it asks parents of newborns to complete that includes questions about the baby's "gender identity" and "sexual orientation" - a requirement of state law.

The law was passed in 2022 as a means to collect information about patients in hospitals around the state - and newborns are officially "patients" in health care facilities.

As reported at New Jersey 101.5, last week, the "Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Questionnaire" distributed at an Inspira Health hospital caught the attention of state Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi, a Republican.

The form asks parents if their newborn baby is lesbian or gay, straight, bisexual, or questioning, and also if their offspring is male, female, transgender, genderqueer, or another gender not on the list.

"Medical providers, laboratories and hospitals are being forced to provide the questionnaire below to NEWBORN patients," Schepisi said on Facebook. "While completely and utterly insane, these facilities are doing so to comply with another nonsensical law."

The law (A4385/S2933) requires hospitals "to collect race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity in a culturally competent and sensitive manner" - yet makes no exemption for age.

In a statement to NJ.com, Inspira spokesman Paul Simon said the hospital was following the law.

"Inspira Health, along with every other acute care hospital in New Jersey, is required by New Jersey law and the State of New Jersey Department of Health to request their patients provide their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity," Simon said.

"You may not want to believe it's real but it is, and on the upside at least you deep down now understand how absurd things have become in New Jersey," Schepisi told New Jersey 101.5.

The Republican vowed to introduce a bill to rescind the requirement.

Originally published at WND News Center