Absurd hospital form asks for babies’ gender identity

A hospital form in the US state of New Jersey has been slammed as ‘madness’ for asking parents about their newborns’ sexuality and gender identity.

Hospitals in the state have been using the form from Inspira Health which asks parents to select how they want their baby to be identified, with options including “Transgender” and “GenderQueer” alongside “Male” and “Female”, even asking how their newborn “self-describes”.

The hospitals defended the forms as being a ‘legal requirement’ – state law requires that healthcare providers collect information of sexual orientation and gender identity for all patients – and Inspira claimed the questions are intended to “provide a safe and compassionate experience”.

Lacking common sense

One question on the form asks: “Which of the following best describes your baby? Lesbian or gay; Straight or heterosexual; Bisexual; Self-describes (please specify); questioning/unsure.”

The form was produced by Inspira Health, which operates four hospitals and eight health centres across the state, the New York Post reports. pic.twitter.com/QtkGIRku77

— John Coctoston (@JohnCoctoston2) March 18, 2025

Republican State Senator Holly Schepisi stated: “The entire thing lacks such common sense, and serves no purpose whatsoever.

“As a mom myself, I know you’re exhausted after giving birth, you’ve got a crying newborn and you’re trying to figure out how to feed it. To be handed that sort of form in the midst of all that has no medical value, it makes no sense.”

Democrat Herbert Conaway, said that the recent legislation on data collection was never intended to encompass information about babies’ sexual orientation, and said parents “are not required to fill out the form”.

‘A farce’

Telegraph columnist Michael Deacon commented: “I still can’t decide which aspect of it is the maddest. The idea that a newborn baby can be gay. The idea that parents might think their newborn baby is gay. The idea that a newborn baby can ‘self-describe’ anything, let alone his or her sexual orientation. Or the idea that a newborn baby is ‘questioning’ his or her sexual orientation”.

He called the form a “farce” and likely a “wild misunderstanding” of the law.