Are The Terms ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’ Disappearing?
Are we now living in a world where terms like mom, dad, mother and father are disappearing?
We might, because there is now a Massachusetts bill which would quite literally redefine what it means to be a parent.
As Fox News reported, The Massachusetts Parentage Act is seeking to do away with terms like “mother” and “father” on children’s birth certificates.
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Not only does this bill do away with these terms, but it goes even further to dilute other parental terms, such as marital status.
The term “children born out of wedlock” is to be substituted for “nonmarital children and parentage of children.”
The H1713 bill starts off by stating, “It is the public policy of the Commonwealth that every child has the same rights and protections under law as any other child without regard to the martial status, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation of the parents or the parents of the circumstances of the birth of the child, including whether the child was born as a result of assisted reproduction or surrogacy.”
Instead of saying “mother,” the bill refers to a female as “parent who gave birth.” Men and fathers are referred to as “parent of any gender,” and later “putative father” is now “alleged genetic parent.” Husbands and wives are further generalized as “spouses.”
These descriptions of mothers and fathers and husbands and wives essentially take away any special meaning designated to a man and a woman about having a special role in a child’s life. For the sake of a few who do not wish to be referred to by these titles, it is taking away what is a high calling for the rest who look forward to being a child’s parent.
Psalm 127:3 tells us that “Children are a gift of the LORD, and the fruit of the womb is a reward.” This reminder that children are a blessing should also give us insight into the joy and the privilege it is to be “mom” and “dad.” That is something that even the government can not take away.
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Abby Trivett is content development editor for Charisma Media.