Lawmakers’ ‘Women’s Bill of Rights’ would define women by biological sex

On May 19, Republican lawmakers introduced separate proposals to the House and Senate that they say will “reaffirm legal protections afforded to women under Federal law.”

H.Res.1136 and S.Res.644, dubbed the “Women’s Bill of Rights” by the Republican Party, is designed to protect women in areas “where biology, safety, and privacy” matter, including in “athletics, prisons, domestic violence shelters, restrooms,” each resolution states.

“Males and females possess unique and immutable biological differences that manifest prior to birth and increase as they age and experience puberty,” each resolution affirms.

These biological differences “mean that only females may get pregnant, give birth, and breastfeed children”; that “males are, on average, larger in size and possess greater body strength than females”; and that females are exposed “to more harm than males from specific forms of violence, including sexual violence,” the resolution asserts.

Each resolution goes on to acknowledge that “women have achieved inspirational and significant accomplishments in education, athletics, and employment” that are being endangered by “misguided court rulings.”

According to each resolution, the key to resolving this is through the “clarification of certain terms.” The resolution offers this by proceeding to define “sex” as “biological sex (either male or female) at birth,” “woman” and “girl” as “human females,” and “man” and “boy” as “human males” for purposes of Federal law. In addition, under Federal law, “mother” would refer to “a parent of the female sex,” while “father” would indicate “a parent of the male sex.”

The legislation further maintains that it is crucial for State and local government agencies to be able to “collect or report data disaggregated by sex” in order to comply with Federal mandates and to make Federal anti-discrimination laws meaningful.

Debbie Lesko

Debbie Lesko, the congressional representative for Arizona’s eighth district, is spearheading the House’s version of the resolution. She announced the resolution at a press conference on Thursday. “The Democrats are erasing women and the spaces that are uniquely ours,” she insisted. The Republican Study Committee, a study group of conservative members and the largest conservative caucus in the House, accompanied the Congresswoman at the press conference.

The legislation, which was developed by the Independent Women’s Voice, a conservative group, and Women’s Liberation Front (WoLF), a feminist organization dedicated to working across the aisle, are simple resolutions that do not require the president’s approving signature. As such, the legislation, if passed, would not carry the force of law.

This article originally appeared at Women are Human.