'Birthing Parent' in Medical Form Stirs Debate after New Mom Expressed Outrage for Dehumanizing 'Mother'

A debate has sparked among parents in Australia after a mother called out the odd use of "birthing parent" instead of "mother" in official medical forms for new babies. Sall Grover, a new mom, expressed her outrage on social media when she had to fill out digital government insurance documents for her child.

Grover told Daily Mail that she's aware of the implications of genderless terms because there are surrogate parents, transgendered parents, adoptive parents, lesbian parents, and so many more classifications. However, she said that removing "mother" from the forms felt "exclusionary, alienating and derogatory" for the new mom. She also felt that this was encroaching on her women's rights.

The new mom then proceeded to share the document on her Twitter, sparking a debate between feminist advocates and LGBTQ advocates.

Read Also: Schools Cancel Father's Day and Mother's Day, to Hold More Inclusive 'Grownups Who Love Us Day' 

Medical forms reverted to "Mother"

Ally Langdon, an Australian TV host and mother, supported Grover's sentiments and said on her show that she found "birthing parent" to be off-putting and dehumanizing as well. She interviewed Grover on her program and also informed her that the Insurance and Government Services Minister, Bill Shorten, ordered to bring back the old forms with "mother" on them.

According to The Guardian, the digital medical forms using "birthing parent" were still on a trial basis at only three hospitals. The trials were managed by the previous administration and some 1,100 parents have filled out the forms, including Grover.

However, some netizens on Twitter disagreed with Grover and said that her new baby will still call her mother for the rest of her life. The forms, on the other hand, are for using inclusive language; it is not meant to erase women or women's rights.

Yet Grover believes that changing the language largely benefits "males who claim to be women." She believes this is an attempt to dismantle the true meaning of "mother" or "woman."

Senator clarifies issues and speaks up for women.

Meanwhile, Sen. Claire Chandler issued a statement to expound more clarity on why the forms erased "mother" in the first place. She said that Australia's federal Department of Health (DOH) has been deleting references to women in other forms, such as the COVID-19 vaccination guides, since 2021.

Chandler asked the DOH to explain the deletion and was told, after seven months of inquiry, that they received suggestions to use inclusive language in their forms from an LGBTQ group. However, the senator said that majority of the country is not into redefining gender terms and she's disturbed by the actions of select lobby groups.

She said that their actions do contradict "inclusivity" by disregarding women. The senator said this has no place in basic public services paid for by all taxpayers.

Related Article: New and Radical Birth Certificate Reforms to Make 'Mother' and 'Father' Optional Proposed in Australia