Sponsors (38)
The bill standardizes sex-based terminology and definitions to reduce ambiguity for some federal actions, at the trade-off of excluding transgender and nonbinary people, risking narrower service eligibility and legal conflicts, and imposing administrative burdens on agencies.
Federal agencies and the people who interact with them (including women and federal employees) will see more consistent, sex-based terminology across forms and guidance, reducing wording ambiguity in official documents.
Individuals and agencies dealing with pregnancy, parenthood, and related programs (including women and federal employees) will have clearer statutory definitions (e.g., 'female,' 'mother'), which can simplify interpretation and application of rules in some agency actions.
Transgender and nonbinary people will be directly excluded by mandated sex-based language and may receive less affirming, less inclusive communications and treatment from federal agencies.
People (including some women and LGBTQ individuals) could lose access to services, accommodations, or benefits if agencies interpret eligibility narrowly based on the mandated sex-based definitions.
Mandating strict biological/sex-based definitions may conflict with existing agency policies and legal interpretations, inviting litigation, inconsistent program implementation, and operational disruption across federal programs.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires federal agencies to stop using "birthing person" and use specified female/woman/mother terms in official documents, with defined sex-based meanings.
Official title: To prohibit agencies from using the term "birthing person" in official documents.
Introduced January 23, 2026 by Sheri Biggs · Last progress January 23, 2026
Prohibits federal agencies from using the term “birthing person” or any variation in official documents and requires use of specified sex- or motherhood-based terms (for example: female, mother, pregnant woman). The bill defines the covered words (including biological/sex-based definitions for “female” and related terms), applies to all federal agencies as defined in federal law, and takes effect 30 days after enactment. The change forces agencies to revise regulations, guidance, forms, and communications that currently use gender‑neutral or inclusive language for pregnancy and childbirth, and replaces that language with the enumerated terms.