Bill replacing 'mother' and 'father' with gender-neutral terms passes in New York, heads to Hochul's desk

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. New York Democrats recently passed a bill that would remove the words "mother" and "father" from parts of state law, sending the legislation to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s desk for final approval. Under the new bill, targeting state child custody and parental laws, "mother" becomes "gestating parent," "father" becomes "non-gestating parent," and "paternity" becomes "parentage." It passed in the state Senate this week after progressing through the Assembly in March. WISCONSIN GOVERNOR'S PUSH TO ERASE GENDERED LANGUAGE FROM STATE LAW IGNITES DEBATE New York Gov. Kathy Hochul spoke during a news conference at the WIN NYC family shelter on March 5, 2026, in New York City. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images) Democrats who drafted the legislation claimed the wording shift would pro