New York Democrats have advanced legislation that will replace the terms 'mother' and 'father' with 'gestating parent' and 'non-gestating parent' in various sections of state law. The bill, which has passed both the Assembly and Senate, now awaits Governor Kathy Hochul's signature, with the changes set to take effect on November 1. This overhaul will alter references in family court proceedings, domestic relations, child support, custody determinations, and education statutes, also changing 'paternity' to 'parentage' and 'putative father' to 'alleged parent'.
Proponents, including Senators Luis Sepulveda and Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, argue the new language is a necessary update to align statutes with existing court rulings and better accommodate modern family structures such as surrogacy and same-sex parenting. They contend the rewrite provides consistency and avoids confusion in complex legal cases.
However, the legislation has faced strong opposition from Republican and conservative leaders. State Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar described it as 'woke culture run amok,' while Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman stated Democrats have 'declared war on families' by canceling 'Mom and Dad.' Critics argue the move is an ideological overreach that wastes legislative time and disrespects biological reality. Some rank-and-file Democrats reportedly viewed the bill as unnecessary, and Governor Hochul stated she would review it.