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Republicans introduce 'Women's Bill of Rights' to protect accomplishments, ensure safety of biological females
The lawmakers say the bill is necessary to clarify the legal term of 'sex' in order to afford women protections
By Kelly Laco
EXCLUSIVE: Republicans are introducing a "Women's Bill of Rights" in order to enshrine into law protections for females based on their biological sex.
Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., is leading lawmakers on the Republican Study Committee (RSC), the largest group of conservative lawmakers on the Hill, in formally introducing the legislation Thursday morning.
"I am proud to introduce the Women’s Bill of Rights to affirm the importance of acknowledging women and their unique and distinguishing characteristics and contributions to our nation. As the Left continues to erase women, we must fight for women and their place in our society. Whether it’s keeping the word "mother" in written law, or ensuring women’s domestic violence shelters do not have to accept biological men, we must stand up for women," Lesko told Fox News Digital.
The bill states that the Women's Bill of Rights is necessary to establish in order to "reaffirm legal protections afforded to women under Federal law" due to that face that males and females have unique biological differences, which increases as they age.
The lawmakers' bill says that due to biological differences, only females are able to "get pregnant, give birth, breastfeed children." In addition, males are larger and possess greater strength than females due to biology. The text also states that females are subjected to more specific forms of violence, including sexual violence.
Despite these biological differences, the lawmakers point out that women have succeeded in education, athletic and other accomplishments, and due to "misguided court rulings related to the definition of ‘sex,'" that has endangered "spaces and resources" dedicated to women, the bill is necessary to clarify terms in order to afford women protections.
RSC chairman Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., told Fox News Digital: "The modern Democrat party has put the Left’s woke agenda before the rights of women. These days, Democrats refuse to even admit women exist or recognize them as unique beings, with unique abilities."
"While radical liberals strip away the progress and protections that generations of women fought to achieve, Republicans must fight back and acknowledge these basic biological truths. As the father of three daughters, I’m proud to co-lead this resolution reaffirming the legal protections afforded to them under federal law," Banks continued.
Reps. Mary Miller of Illinois and Diana Harshbarger of Tennessee are also leading the bill with Lesko and Banks. Joining them as original cosponsors include Reps. Claudia Tenney of New York, Vicky Hartzler of Missouri, Victoria Spartz of Indiana, Ronny Jackson of Texas and Doug LaMalfa of California. A bill has also been introduced in the Senate led by Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., and Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo.
"This common-sense document will help codify our common understanding and the reality we all know of the words ‘female,’ ‘woman,’ and ‘sex’, and I am proud to support it," Rep. Miller added.
The legislation clarifies, "for purposes of Federal law, a person’s ‘sex’ means his or her biological sex (either male or female) at birth" and the term "mother" means "parents of female sex and ‘father’ is defined as parent of the male sex." It continues: "there are important reasons to distinguish between the sexes with respect to athletics, prisons, domestic violence shelters, restrooms, and other areas, particularly where biology, safety, and privacy are implicated."
Women's groups including Independent Women's Voice, Family Policy Alliance and Concerned Women for America, are supportive of the legislation, which they say will help fight sex discrimination and better protect women.
"We can’t fight sex discrimination if we can’t agree on what it means to be a woman. And we can’t collect accurate data regarding public health, medicine, education, crime, and the economic status of women if we redefine sex to mean ‘gender identity,’" Independent Women’s Law Center director Jennifer C. Braceras told Fox News Digital.
The issue of biological males competing in women's sports has been in the national spotlight recently as transgender woman Lia Thomas swept races at the 2022 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championship.
On Wednesday, Democratic witness Aimee Arrambide, the executive director of the abortion rights nonprofit Avow Texas, testified before the House Judiciary Committee on abortion rights and declared that men can get pregnant and have abortions.
In addition, a "pregnant man" and "pregnant person" emojis were released earlier this year in a voluntary update to the iPhone.
A senior GOP aide told Fox News Digital earlier this week that "protecting women's sports will be a priority of a Republican majority" and Republican members are gearing up to tackle the issue should the House flip in November.
The RSC is also pushing that the "Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act," led by Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., be brought to the House floor expeditiously through a discharge petition.
Fox News' Houston Keene and Jessica Chasmar contributed to this report.