Sherrod Brown Co-Sponsored Bill Referring to Women as ‘Birthing People’

The Health Equity and Accountability Act also referred to breastfeeding as ‘chestfeeding’

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D., Ohio) co-sponsored a bill that referred to women as “birthing people” and breastfeeding as “chestfeeding”—two terms preferred by far-left activists but rejected by the broader American public. 

Brown co-sponsored the Health Equity and Accountability Act in June 2022 after first co-sponsoring it in 2018. The bill’s original version didn’t include those terms. 

The inclusion of such language is another example of how Brown’s time in the Senate departs from his rhetoric on the campaign trail. Brown, considered one of the most vulnerable incumbents in the Senate, is careful on the trail and in his campaign ads not to refer to himself as a Democrat in a state that former president Donald Trump handily won twice.

Such a delicate dance—which included bailing on the Democratic National Committee this year—sometimes results in embarrassing incidents for Brown, such as his recent ad campaign featuring alleged Republicans who back his candidacy. A Washington Free Beacon investigation revealed that two of the individuals in that ad are registered Democrats. 

The Health Equity and Accountability Act was co-sponsored by some of the most left-wing lawmakers in the Senate, including Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), and would “improve” data collection among those in the health care system as well as strengthen “health workforce diversity initiatives.”

“Due to the confluence of structural racism and factors such as gender, class, and sexual orientation or gender identity, commonly referred to as intersectionality, Black and Latinx transgender women are more likely to die due to violence and homicide than their White counterparts,” the bill states.

New federal programs would, according to the bill, improve “outcomes of all birthing people” as well as “provide or arrange for the provision of essential supporter services, such as services that address … chestfeeding.” The bill would also fund a study from the National Academy of Medicine that gives “focus to impacts among African American, American Indian, Native Hawaiian, Alaskan Native, and LGBTQ birthing persons.”

The bill’s use of the terms “birthing people” and “chestfeeding” is out of step with the American public.  

A 2022 poll commissioned by the New York Times found the words “chestfeeding” and “birthing person” some of the least used words by American adults. Just 10 percent of respondents said they would use the word “chestfeeding,” while 85 percent said they use the word “breastfeeding.” The survey also found that two-thirds of Americans reject the term “birthing parent.”   

Much of the bill also focuses on promoting anti-racism initiatives in the medical field. Grants would be given to health care providers only if “the program or school has included in the standard curriculum for all students a bias, racism, or discrimination training program that includes training on implicit bias and racism, and if so, the effectiveness of such training program.”

Brown’s office did not respond to a request for comment.