OAN Staff Jenna Lee
6:47 AM – Friday, June 5, 2026
New York lawmakers have passed a sweeping bill updating gendered language across state child custody and family court laws, replacing traditional legal terms like “mother” and “father” with “gestating parent” and “non-gestating parent.”
Sponsored by Democrat Assemblymember State Representative Amy Paulin (D-N.Y.) and State Senator Luis Sepúlveda (D-N.Y.), the legislation (A8382A/S9316) passed the New York State Assembly in March and cleared the Senate this week.
Under the new legislation, legal proceedings to determine “paternity” will be rebranded as “parentage” cases. Furthermore, a man biologically related to a child without an established legal relationship will be formally referred to as “an alleged parent” rather than a “putative father.”
The proposal comes as New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D-N.Y.) and state Democrats face continuous backlash from conservatives over culture-war issues, education policy, identity debates and parental rights.
While sponsors frame it as a technical modernization, critics argue the bill is another glaring example of Albany Democrats erasing traditional family terms from official government wording.
“It’s an example of how out of tune the New York legislature is. It’s an unnecessary and wasteful use of time. Imagine people who are considering moving to New York seeing this and saying, ‘Do I need this silliness?’ This is a really weird group of elected officials. It comes out of left field,” said state Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar, a former longtime state Senate and Assembly staffer.
“Democrats led by Kathy Hochul have continued their declaration of war on New York families by canceling the loving terms of Mom and Dad and replacing them with ‘gestating and non-gestating parent’,” said Republican New York gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman in a statement.
“At a time when New Yorkers are struggling with high taxes, rising costs, and public safety concerns, Albany Democrats are focused on redefining motherhood. This is yet another example of out-of-touch politicians prioritizing progressive ideology over the issues that actually matter to hardworking New Yorkers,” said U.S. Representative Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.).
Hochul claimed to not be fully briefed on the bill when asked on Wednesday, saying “Well, I’m not familiar with what was introduced. I’ll take a look at it. This has been my practice for five years.”
The over 15,000-word legislation now moves to Hochul’s desk for her signature or veto. If signed, the updates are slated to take effect on November 1st.
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