The Biden White House wanted no part of a proposal put forth this week during the National Education Association’s annual meeting to do away with the term “mother” in favor of “birthing parent.
At Thursday’s press briefing, Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy asked White House press secretary Karine Jean Pierre: “The largest labor union in the country, the National Education Association, had been proposing a resolution for future contracts to replace the word mother with birthing parent. What does the president think about proposals like that one?”
“So, we’re not the NEA, and I would refer you to their team about that particular specific,” the president’s spokesperson replied.
Fox News’ Peter Doocy repeatedly asks Press Sec. Karine Jean-Pierre about the National Education Association’s proposal to change the word “mother” to “birthing parent.”
Karine: “We’re not the NEA.”
Doocy: “The first lady is a teacher.”
Karine: “I am not their spokesperson.” pic.twitter.com/h0vGccRvpt
— The Recount (@therecount) July 7, 2022
The resolution, which was billed as an attempt to be “inclusive” to the LGBTQ+ community, was ultimately not brought to a vote during the meeting.
“Using this contract language, members need not worry about how a Board of Education/solicitor defines ‘maternity leave,’ ‘mother,’ and/or ‘father’; the language is an inclusive reflection of how LGBTQIA+ members build families,” the proposed resolution said.
Doocy pressed, reminding Jean-Pierre that first lady Jill Biden is a teacher — and a member of the NEA — and that President Biden has boasted about being the “most pro-labor president ever.”
“And the first lady’s a proud member of the NEA,” she replied. “I am not going to speak about a — an organization’s policy or change of policy. I am not their spokesperson, not something that I’m going to do. Yes, the vice president was there on Tuesday. She spoke at the NEA and when they did regular order, when they did their regular business, she left. So she was also not part of that discussion.”
Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at Tuesday’s annual meeting at the McCormick Convention Center in Chicago.
When pressed, Jean-Pierre further replied, “Look, this is a policy change that is not something that I can speak to. I refer you to NEA.”
Nicole Neily, president and founder of Parents Defending Education, told Fox News the NEA is “out of touch” with parents.
“Normal people don’t use the term chestfeeding or birthing person or any of this stuff,” she said. “I think it just further underscores how completely out of touch the teachers’ unions… are from the concerns of normal parents.”
Since it apparently needed to be said, normal people don’t use the term “chestfeeding” or “birthing person” or any of this nonsense stuff.
Teachers’ unions are completely out of touch with the concerns of normal parents. pic.twitter.com/sB2V1ukjbU
— Nicki Neily (@nickineily) July 7, 2022
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Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
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