Hospital questionnaire sparks outrage over newborn sexual orientation question
New parents in New Jersey are receiving shocking documents from a health network — and it is not the hospital bill.
A form from Inspira Health went viral as it asks parents about their newborn’s sexual orientation and gender identity.
Now, New Jersey State Sen. Holly Schepisi (R-District 39) is introducing legislation to exempt minors from these types of questions.
Schepisi — also a mother of two — told Fox News Digital that when she first saw the form being circulated on social media, she was "skeptical" because of the "outrageous" and "nonsensical" nature of the forms. However, her staff were able to confirm that the questionnaire was indeed real and was being distributed to new parents.
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Inspira Health’s forms are meant to comply with a New Jersey law that requires the collection of data on patients’ race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity, according to Schepisi.
"The health network, in fairness to them, it was like ‘We don't necessarily want to be providing these out. And we have received some pushback and backlash from patients.’ But under the new law that was implemented in New Jersey in late June of 2022, the health network had a real belief that in order to be compliant with the law DOH [regulations], that they had to be all encompassing and include this, including for newborn patients," Schepisi told Fox News Digital.
The law requires the collection be done "in a culturally competent and sensitive manner," which Schepisi said was "subjective."
Schepisi thinks she will be able to get bipartisan support for her legislation that would create an exemption for minors in the state’s medical records law.
"Apparently, as drafted, as guidance was being provided, the interpretation by a lot of people, was that this data must be collected from all demographics without regard to age," Schepisi told Fox News Digital.
This seems to be the case, as Inspira Health told Fox News Digital that the questionnaire is "required by New Jersey law and the State of New Jersey Department of Health." Inspira Health also said that parents are allowed to decline to provide this information.
"Per recent guidance from the New Jersey Department of Health stating that health systems can collect that data in a clinically appropriate and culturally competent manner, Inspira Health will request this information from adults. This update in protocol remains compliant with the law, and we respect patients’ right to decline to respond," Inspira Health said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Some healthcare workers are also finding the form to be preposterous, according to Schepisi, who said Assemblyman John Azzariti, a medical doctor, called it "absurd." Azzariti is sponsoring Schepisi’s legislation in the Assembly. Schepisi also said the form was "not fair" to workers engaging with patients who are unhappy about the bizarre questionnaire.
The state senator said she has spoken to some Democratic state legislators who were stunned to hear about the forms’ existence.
"I did have quite a few conversations over the past week bringing this issue to some of my Democratic colleagues’ attention, and, you know, their response was pretty much the same as a lot of people out in the public, like, ‘We're doing what?’"
Schepisi pointed the finger at New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, saying that initiatives such as the collection of this data for medical records "stemmed directly from the governor’s office." She also pointed out that the law went from introduction to the governor’s desk in a week and a half, which she said is "unheard of."
In response to a request for comment, the New Jersey Department of Health told Fox News Digital that "the Department stresses that any collection of SOGI data should be done in a clinically appropriate and culturally competent manner, including patient populations for which certain data may not be appropriate, as in the case for newborns. We also recommend that hospitals develop internal policies and procedures based on clinical advice to assist their employees in collecting such data."