Obama State Department deletes 'Mother, 'Father' from forms for more correct 'Parent One, 'Parent Two'

No more "Mother" and "Father" for the Obama administration's State Department.

The department has announced that it is replacing the traditional parental designations on its passport applications (see above) with the more contemporaneously correct "Parent One" and "Parent Two."

This takes effect when new forms come out Feb. 1.

This might sound like some kind of psychotic cyber society eliminating family distinctions in favor of PC federal bureaucratic numbers. However, the State Department denies that this change is Democratic political correctness ignoring some obvious biological realities and distinctions. "Hello, Parent One? This is Child Three calling."

The State Department calls the changes "improvements," saying they're intended to provide "a gender neutral description of a child's parents" and to recognize "different types of families." A spokeswoman said the new terms "recognize changes in medical science and reproductive technology."

Regardless, the official federal change at the halfway point of Barack Obama's presidential term is delighting gay rights groups.

Deleting the customary "mother" and "father" terminology, says Jennifer Chrisler of the Family Equality Council, "allows many different types of families to be able to go and apply for a passport for their child without feeling like the government doesn’t recognize their family.” Chrisler's group has long lobbied for the changes.

Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council disagrees, you'll not be surprised to learn. "Only in the topsy-turvy world of left-wing political correctness could it be considered an ‘improvement’ for a birth-related document to provide less information about the circumstances of that birth,” he told Fox Radio.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Comments

[Steve M]

LOL. Stick a fork in it, this society is dead.

[Martin Hudzinski]

Yes there are many different types of families occurring, but words mean everything. In effect, we are saying that we don't care what the correct ideal is that we should emulate. It represents a very subtle but real shift in cultural attitude, it not only acknowledges a change, but forces everyone to accept that change as normative.

[Samuel N]

Yes, this society is DEAD! Once God was rejected, Satan took over.

[JadeDragon]

So someone as two fathers or two birth mothers? Why not give the option to list Parent 3 and Parent 4 too? Will the birth certificate be next? Identifying people correctly is critical to security and making listing your correct parents optional is pretty crazy.

[justanotherguy]

Um ok. Since he state department feels compelled to assuage the feelings of 'different types' of families.... look, if your going to play into the hands of a tiny VOCAL minority, why haven't you assuaged the feelings of millions of step-parents?
Why not have Mother(parent 1) and Father (parent 2)...?
THAT would pander to almost everyone's feelings..No this is more a move to advance a particularly unpopular agenda....
Another stoopid PC move from a 'progressively' unpopular administration!!
Bravo
meh.

[Kerry Maxwell]

Why the need to specify "Obama" State department? Is there more than one? And "more correct"? Don't you mean more accurate? And M. Hudzinski, who's "correct ideal"?

[DKelfor America]

Obama is following the steps of many before him. The first step is the use of language. For instance, in the 15th century when Africans were identified as the people excellent for slavery in the "new worlds" they socially and then legally lost the usage, then right, to be recognized as men and women. Now, Obama is destroying the importance of being a mother and father. Funny, it was the Africans which destroyed their land, sold their people into slavery to build America in the 1600s and now it is an African who is destroying the American culture as well as selling out their sons and daughters of slaves in America who put their faith and aspirations behind him. It all starts with the power of the Name.

[DKelfor America]

Bill Clinton was dubbed as the first "Black " president. Well, Obama can now take on the official title as being dubbed as the first "gay" president. It is funny that he is so similar in leadership style of president Buchanan- and the gays have claimed him as on of their own as well.

[Gee]

Parent one and parent two? How will you know which parent is the mother and which parent is the father?

[PlayfulWalrus]

Nice to know that I as a FATHER don't matter. Why have space for a second parent? Isn't that offensive to single parents?

[Amy]

To be expected, after all Oboooooooomba lied about his own birth certificate so he is now making it easier for everyone to be screwed at birth.

[Lou G.]

To begin with, I'm shocked & dismayed at uneducated brabble that gets posted; many of you should be embarrassed of your poor English, and shouldn't be allowed to be heard unless you can form proper sentences.

That aside, I'm equally disconcerted that the people who've posted here are so dangerously & vocally ignorant! Really, Dekelfor America? Your 8:54 A.M. post is so illiterate, you should be ashamed (to say nothing of it's content!). You really ought to research your history before you make posts that shamelessly display your inability to read.

To Playful Walrus regarding his 1:55 P.M. post, inseminating ova doesn't make you a father; raising them does. If you plant your seed, then a gay/lesbian couple adopts your offspring, you're no more a father than a lamppost. If you're raising your children in a two-parent home, then you've nothing to complain about, do you?

At Martin Hudzinski's 9:46 P.M. post, the real shift in cultural attitude is done. It's already occurred all around you. Just because you're the remnant of a narrow-minded and rapidly-awakening, obstinate segment of the population to acknowledge this change doesn't mean that not everyone welcomes it. Wake up, Hudzinski, and live in the now. America WANTS this change; that's why we elected a President capable of fulfilling these needs.

At Samuel N. and Steve M., maybe *your* society is dead, but nobody will mourn *your* society's passing (okay, maybe the Nazis and the Calvinists will): the rest of us are celebrating the continuing & vibrant life of *OUR* society, historically referred to as A More Perfect Union.

To paraphrase a popular public figure, if you're whining for the "good ole days," remember, those days were only "good" if you were a white middle-class male; they weren't so good if you were indigent, or disabled, or gay/lesbian, or Hispanic, or Asian, or Native, or African-American, or a woman. To openly wish for the return of those days is an insult to America, a slap in the face to the progress we've struggled for.

The time for passé belief systems built on division, prejudice, misogyny, and hatred has finally expired. Thank the Almighty! If those are your values, please leave & go practice them in Pakistan -- those values welcome there. This is America, the Land of the Free, and the Home of the Brave, where EVERY person has the equal right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!

~lou g.
Tucson, Arizona, U.S.A.

[Elan]

I think that this is wonderful! It will be helpful in being more accurate for many families. I don't understand why such negative responses from people when you could still just as easily put both your mother and father in those spaces as you could before. In fact now you can choose to decide if you would pick your mother or father as parent 1 or 2. I am so happy about this positive change to be more inclusive and accurate.

[Mookaoman]

I haven't seen one comment supporting this, so I guess I'll do it. I think it's an OK idea to do this. While it's very obvious that families with gay parents will be happy, I also think many other types of families will be happy too. A parent is anyone who is actively raising the child, and there could be a variety of situations to consider, it just makes it gender neutral. I don't think the intention is to eliminate the idea of a mother or father figure. Most forms are impersonal anyway, so what is the big deal?

[hankaroo]

Read your history. When you destroy the family unit, you destroy a society, when a society is destroyed you have destroyed a nation. A nation can only survive with a strong family unit.

[Kerry Maxwell]

@ hankaroo How is this destroying the family unit? Do you know any same-sex couples with children? Many of them lovingly raise children free from paranoia and bigotry, and their family unit is as strong as any other.