EXCLUSIVENew Jersey parents blast 'woke' hospital form asking new moms the sexual identity of their newborns after birth
Any day now, New Jersey mom Lillie Mingle is set to give birth to her fourth child, planning to deliver at an Inspira Health Network hospital, as she did for her first three kids.
During a recent routine hospital visit, she received her third trimester folder, expecting the usual documents and information given to expectant mothers in preparations for labor.
But when she reviewed the forms Mingle said she was stunned - and 'disgusted' - to find a 'sexual orientation and gender identity' questionnaire intended for her newborn baby - mandated by a state law passed by the democratically-controlled legislature in 2022.
The bizarre form, obtained by DailyMail.com, asks new moms to disclose which gender their child was 'assigned at birth' and to check off whether they identify their baby as female, male, transgender female, transgender male, genderqueer, or an additional gender category that's not listed.
It also asked moms to choose whether their child is 'lesbian or gay, straight or heterosexual, bisexual, self-described, or questioning/unsure,' straight out of the womb.
'It's deeply twisted and evil,' Mingle told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview.
'Who is even sitting around wondering such a thing, why did my tax dollars pay them to write this up, and why is it now 'state law' that I give an answer?
'Why are freshly postpartum moms being pushed to comply?'
New Jersey mom Lillie Mingle, pictured with her husband Trey and her then-newborn daughter, told DailyMail.com she was 'disgusted' to receive a 'sexual orientation and gender identity' questionnaire for her newborn child during a recent hospital visit
Mingle, a birth doula based in South Jersey, is currently pregnant with her fourth child and is expected to give birth any day
Mingle, who is based in south Jersey, works as a photographer and birth doula, supporting expectant mothers through the pregnancy, labor, and birth process.
Having worked with numerous moms through her line of work over the years, she took to her doula business's Instagram to ask whether any of her clients, or New Jersey mothers in general, had been asked to complete the form.
Of the moms who gave birth at Inspira hospitals in the past year, 68 percent received the questionnaire and 32 percent did not, according to her survey results.
Moms who delivered at other hospitals in the south Jersey area, were less familiar with the form, with only 20 percent being asked to fill the questionnaire.
Mingle later surveyed women on Facebook where she discovered additional moms who were asked to specify the sexual orientation and gender identity of their newborns — as well as their young children.
She found parents were universally shocked by the request, with some of them pushing back.
'I know one couple had completely refused all together and were still pressured to do so, but stuck by their guns and they [the hospital] eventually backed down,' she said.
'These parents should not have to be fighting anyone freshly postpartum. "No" is a full sentence, especially in the birth world.'
The bizarre form requires parents to identify their baby's gender and whether the child is straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual, or other, after birth
The questionnaire has been given to mothers at hospitals in the Inspira Health Network, which covers four hospitals, two cancer centers, and eight health centers in South Jersey
Parents Madison and Stephen Morrow had a similar disturbing experience after welcoming their first child at an Inspira Health Network hospital in South Jersey, which covers four hospitals, two cancer center and eight health centers, last May.
Hours after their daughter's birth, Stephen was asked to complete the questionnaire about his daughter's sexual orientation and gender identity.
Instead, the parents refused and asked the nurse to file a complaint on their behalf.
'We were appalled to receive this form,' the dad told DailyMail.com. 'The very intention of this form is to sexualize a child.
'Under the guise of "inclusivity," this document directs "sexual preference" questions at newborns.
'It is not in any way inclusive, but extremely disrespectful to the child and parent that receives this form.'
He added: 'The state requiring this form is an overstep and a misuse, and it must be removed altogether.
'To those who approved it, know that this is unacceptable and will not be overlooked by any of us loving parents. We will continue to fight against these reprehensible actions to protect our children.'
Speaking to DailyMail.com, Mingle noted that she and her fellow outraged moms recognized that most hospital nurses acknowledged the absurdity of the questionnaire and were just doing their jobs by collecting the information.
State Senator Holly Schepisi first shared a photo of the form on social media earlier this month, sparking disbelief amongst users who questioned its authenticity
Schepisi announced via Facebook that she intends to 'immediately' sponsor legislation to rescind the 'absurd requirement'
'They are told by higher ups what is mandatory and unfortunately they do not have a voice to oppose,' she said.
In a statement to Daily Mail.com, however, the Inspira Health Network indicated an apparent shift in policy, making it applicable to adults only.
'Per recent guidance from the New Jersey Department of Health stating that health systems can collect that data in a clinically appropriate and culturally competent manner, Inspira Health will request this information from adults,' the hospital said.
'This update in protocol remains compliant with the law, and we respect patients' right to decline to respond.'
Inspira declined to say when or why it changed its policy, but perhaps it was related to recent media attention.
The controversial questionnaire drew backlash earlier this month after Mingle shared a photo of the form on social media that then caught the attention of New Jersey State Senator Holly Schepisi (R-Bergen).
Schepisi later reposted the image herself, blasting the 'completely and utterly insane' document that medical providers are handing out to comply with 'nonsensical law A-4385 passed by the democratically controlled legislature in 2022.'
'This law mandates collection of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity data with no age threshold - hence newborn babies receiving the survey,' she wrote in a March 5 post.
'I will be sponsoring legislation immediately to rescind this absurd requirement which is a waste of medical professional's time and resources.'
In an email discussion with the senator on the issue, Mingle called the questions 'predatory' and asked Schepisi how she could 'raise a respectable ruckus to protect our children.'
Mingle lives with her husband and children on a micro-homestead with a garden and farm animals in south Jersey; she intends to refuse to fill out the questionnaire when she gives birth
Mingle is pictured left with her other 'kids', the baby goats on her farm, and her children, are seen right harvesting peas from their garden
Schepisi confirmed that Inspira was using the form to comply with state law and regulations issued by the New Jersey Department of Health.
'It's a waste of resources. It's a waste of time, as well as it's absurd,' Schepisi said.
'As a mother myself, if I was handed that questionnaire, and I had just given birth, I probably would have like ripped it up and thrown it back at them.'
The New Jersey law was introduced in June 2022 and passed into law about a week later.
It required all hospitals and clinical laboratories to ask all patients about their sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI).
The law also demanded that electronic medical records management systems be modified to collect the SOGI information as required fields.
If the SOGI data was not provided, the law required that medical records could not be saved.
It also required cultural competency training for all employees who were responsible for collecting race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity information from patients.
The medical questionnaire has sparked outrage among local lawmakers and parents who claim it's intent is to 'sexualize a child.' Pictured: Stock image of a newborn at a hospital nursery
'The Department of Health actually confirmed that this is a requirement and something that they have been mandating for hospital networks and medical providers to comply with,' Shepisi said.
'Their interpretation of the legislation that was passed is that there is no age threshold or a differentiation in ages. So all patient populations have to be served with this type of questionnaire.'
The New Jersey Health Department did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
'Asking if your newborn baby is gay, bisexual or wants to identify as something other — it's just complete and utter madness,' Shepisi said.
Children, let alone newborn babies, don't have a concept of gender or sexual orientation and don't become conscious of the difference between boys and girls until around age two, according to healthychildren.org. Most children can identify themselves as either a boy or girl by age three.
Children start to become aware of sexual orientation in adolescence with the onset of puberty, according to Nemours Kids Health.
Shepisi said she is now intent on sponsoring legislation to rescind this requirement for 'anybody who really can't make a determination as to what their sexual orientation or gender identity may be.'
'We keep putting forth legislative initiatives without thinking through the practical implications of them and what they actually need,' Shepisi said.
'So as health care costs are continuing to rise, doctor practice groups are having to spend more of their time and energy on implementing ever changing regulations within the state, rather than on patient care and well-being.
'The bill went from introduction to passage in less than a week, with nobody being aware of it, nobody vetting it, no public hearings on it, no discussions about the efficacy of it, because it fit a narrative,' Shepisi continued. 'And now that we're attempting to correct it.'
For her part, Lillie Mingle plans to refuse to complete the form when her new baby is born.
