Ohio Democratic U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) swapped out the word “women” for “persons” to describe pregnant mothers in an updated version of a bill originally introduced in 2015 filed again in the U.S. Senate last year.
In 2015, Brown introduced the Healthy Maternity and Obstetric Medicine (MOM) Act which, at the time, would have required health insurers to offer special enrollment periods to pregnant women if signed into law.
The text of Brown’s original 2015 bill mentioned the word “women” 22 times and the word “maternity” 19 times.
However, Brown’s updated version of the bill introduced in December of 2023 completely omitted the word “women” from its text, instead referring to pregnant mothers as pregnant “persons” or “individuals.”
Brown, who has been serving in the U.S. Senate since 2007, is endorsed by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) PAC, which describes itself as “the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization.”
When it comes to pregnancy, the HRC, according to its website, says that “lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer cisgender women, and transgender men and non-binary people assigned female at birth” are able to experience pregnancy.
“We must do everything we can to support our LGBTQ friends and neighbors and ensure they are protected from discrimination in all its forms,” Brown said after being endorsed by the HRC.
In addition to the HRC, Brown’s campaign recently launched a coalition called “LGBTQ+ Ohioans for Sherrod,” an effort launched to attract the LGBT vote for Brown in the November 5 general election.
When the coalition launched earlier this year, Brown said, “While too many politicians want to divide and distract us, I believe our state is stronger when we treat every Ohioan with the dignity and the respect they deserve.”
Brown faces Republican nominee Bernie Moreno, who is endorsed by former President Donald Trump, in the November 5 general election.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
