WASHINGTON, June 14, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) – President Joe Biden’s pro-abortion Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra refused to use the term “mother” instead of “birthing person” when challenged by Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) in a Senate Finance Committee hearing which addressed the proposed budget for the 2022 fiscal year.
During the hearing, Lankford told Becerra he observed that the word “mothers” had been replaced with “birthing people” in the 2022 budget proposal.
“I also notice you changed a term in your budget work,” Lankford said. “You shifted in places from using the term ‘mother’ to ‘birthing people’ rather than ‘mother.’ Can you help me get a good definition of ‘birthing people?’”
Becerra neglected to provide a defense for the term, which is used by advocates of transgender ideology to promote the notion that “it’s not just cis-gender [biological] women that can get pregnant and give birth.”
“Well, I’ll check on the language there,” Becerra said, “but I think if we’re talking about those who give birth I think we’re talking about, uh, I don’t know how else to explain it to you other than …”
When Becerra failed to finish the sentence, Lankford continued: “I was a little taken aback when I just read it and saw it that the term ‘mother’ was gone in spots and it was replaced with ‘birthing people’ and I didn’t know if this was a direction that you were going, if there were shifts, if there were regulatory changes that are happening related to that or what the purpose of that is.”
“I think it’s probably,” Becerra began, “and again I’d have to go back and take a look at the language that was used in the budget, but I think it simply reflects the work that is being done.”
“I definitely get that,” Sen. Lankford answered, adding, “I would only say, the language is important, always. We don’t want to offend in our language, I get that. But would you at least admit calling a mom a ‘birthing person’ could be offensive to some moms? They don’t want to get, like, a ‘Happy Birthing Person’ card in May. Can you at least admit that that term itself could be offensive to some moms?”
Becerra laughed and said, “Senator, I’ll go back and take a look at the terminology that was used and I can get back to you, but again, if we’re trying to be precise in the language that’s used.”
“Mom’s a pretty good word,” Lankford shot back. “That’s worked for a while and I think that’s pretty precise as well.”
Earlier in the hearing, Lankford had pressed Becerra about religious freedom.
“I was surprised to see the language in the budget,” Lankford said. “It stripped out much of that language that had existed in previous budgets about freedom of conscience, freedom of religion. And it also seems that you’re eliminating the Conscience and Religious Freedom Division. Is that true? In your budget, are you eliminating the Conscience and Religious Freedom Division?”
Becerra deflected, saying the HHS would “continue to do the work to protect the religious, civil, constitutional rights of all Americans under HHS’ purview,” under the “Office of Civil Rights.”
“But you’re taking away that division as a priority and putting it under something else, or where is it going?” Lankford asked.
“It continues to function,” Becerra said. “The work continues to be functioning under the Office of Civil Rights.”
In the latest in a series of official endorsements by the GOP, the Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel recently issued a statement promoting so-called "pride" month and the agenda of the LGBT movement.
By forcing the LGBT agenda on the party faithful and would-be Republican voters, the RNC is seriously disrespecting their mostly conservative and Christian values.
Please SIGN this urgent petition to the RNC telling them to stop promoting the normalization of homosexual and transgender lifestyles, and the sexualization of politics in the United States.
Ever since Romney McDaniel took over as the head of the RNC in 2017, the leadership of the party has been tying itself, ever-more-closely, to this socially, morally and politically corrupt agenda, much to the dismay of the party faithful.
This is a colossal mistake for the party and society for three reasons:
- Attempting to normalize a lifestyle which is objectively disordered, is wrong and deceptive. The natural family and marriage between one man and one woman should be supported, not practices which have a decidedly destructive effect on individuals and society.
- If the party gives in to the LGBT agenda now, LGBT activists will never be satisfied. They will force the GOP to push more and more aberrant views, practices, policy and laws. That will be unhealthy for society and, ultimately, bad for the party, as people, who would otherwise support the party, will be driven away by pandering to this agenda which is based on personal, rather than societal, issues.
- By spending time and resources trying to court the LGBT community, which makes up 1-2% of the voting population, the GOP is losing opportunities to gain the support of much larger constituencies in the country, like Hispanic and Black voters, who make up 26%+ of the vote. Recent elections prove that Hispanics and Blacks can be won over to the party on economic policy and other substantive issues, rather than on identity politics.
Of course, people with homosexual inclinations must be respected, but the normalization of homosexuality (and, other sexually-confused inclinations) in society must be rejected.
Ultimately, the Republican Party should stand for the common good, not just the good of the individual based on sexual practices which do not actually benefit society. Otherwise, they will become indistinguishable from the other major party.
Please SIGN and SHARE this urgent petition which tells the GOP to stop promoting the harmful LGBT agenda and the so-called 'pride' events which endanger the innocence and morals of everyone involved.
Thank you!
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
'GOP national chair endorses LGBT ‘pride’ month, vows to keep growing ‘big tent’' - https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/gop-national-chair-endorses-lgbt-pride-month-vows-to-keep-growing-big-tent
'GOP chair praises LGBT activist group’s work to ‘transform’ the Republican party' - https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/rnc-chair-praises-gay-organization-for-advocating-lgbt-rights
'Pride Month shows: Christians must opt out of mainstream culture in America' - https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/pride-month-shows-christians-must-opt-out-of-mainstream-culture-in-america
**Photo Credit: hafakot / Shutterstock.com
Lankford promised to follow up with Becerra for further clarification on the issue.
Becerra has a poor track record on life issues. In 2017, in his capacity as attorney general of California prior to his appointment as HHS secretary, Becerra sued the federal government under the Trump administration in an effort to reimpose an Obamacare mandate requiring insurance providers to offer contraceptives.
The action resulted in a suit by the State of California against the Little Sisters of the Poor, who fought to keep the religious exemption to the mandate. In July 2020, the Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in favor of the Little Sisters of the Poor in, sending the original case back to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals for a new decision taking into consideration the Supreme Court’s ruling.
In February of this year, more than 60 pro-life advocacy groups — including Live Action, Citizens for a Pro-Life Society, Priests for Life, and the Family Research Council — signed a letter addressed to the Senate asking them not to confirm Becerra as HHS secretary, saying he “is an enemy to every pro-life policy and law and has demonstrated complete disregard for the religious and moral convictions of those opposed to the brutal act of abortion.”