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Governor Tony Evers recently came under fire for altering legal language in Wisconsin to remove traditional family terms like “mother” and “father” in favor of gender-neutral terminology, including the controversial replacement of “mother” with “inseminated person.” Evers has claimed that this is about ensuring legal clarity for parents using in vitro fertilization (IVF), but the truth is far different.
Under Wisconsin Statute § 16.47, the governor is required to submit a biennial budget proposal to the Joint Finance Committee (JFC), which consists of 16 legislative members. This proposal is subject to amendments and must pass both legislative chambers in identical form before it becomes law. After passage, the Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB) finalizes language and oversees implementation.
Evers, however, misrepresented his role in this process. He claimed that the decision to alter these gendered terms was a necessary legal update to accommodate IVF services. However, IVF-related protections have long been covered under existing state and federal law, including the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and Wisconsin Statute § 103.10, which already grant leave and protections to individuals who give birth—regardless of how they conceive.
When confronted about the changes, Evers displayed classic signs of deception:
His response was not one of transparency but rather a “block and bridge” strategy—dodging the question and redirecting attention to a strawman argument about Republicans allegedly opposing IVF, which is false.
Evers didn’t just tweak some wording—he intentionally manipulated the law to conform to a radical ideological agenda while misleading Wisconsinites about the reasoning. The media failed to challenge him, but the facts are clear: his changes were unnecessary, his justification was false, and his deception was obvious.
Wisconsin voters deserve better than a governor who plays word games with the law while gaslighting the public.