Bill Seeks to Strike Offensive Phrase From US Code
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan bill introduced on Friday seeks to remove the more than two dozen uses of an offensive phrase used to describe those with intellectual disabilities from federal law and replace it with language more in sync with 21st century ideas on human dignity.
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., said she was moved to introduce the Words Matter Act by the example of her eldest son, Cole, who has Down syndrome.
“From the day he was born, I watched as others tried to limit his potential. But for 16 years, Cole has refused to let his extra 21st chromosome define him, defying his doubters at every turn,” Rodgers said in a written statement.
“In America, we are not defined by the condition of our birth, and it’s well past time the text of our nation’s laws reflect that,” Rodgers continued.
The co-sponsors of the bill are Reps. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., Pete Sessions, R-Texas, and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C.
As Rodgers went on to explain, “The use of outdated and derogatory language in previously written law fails to treat individuals with disabilities with the dignity and respect they deserve.
“I’m confident the Words Matter Act will prove that our country knows better by bringing the laws of our land into the 21st century and setting a new standard for the way we speak about others in America,” she said.
Rodgers previously helped pass Rosa’s Law, which struck “mental retardation” from federal law when President Obama signed it in 2010. However, the legislation did not remove the equally offensive term “mentally retarded,” which is the point of the Words Matter Act.
“This bill just makes sense,” Pocan said. “Federal law should reflect the time in which we live and not include harmful words or slurs. The Words Matter Act will modernize our laws, and remove offensive language from the U.S. Code. I thank my colleagues from both sides of the aisle for joining this effort to update our laws in a manner that is respectful of every American.”
Sessions, whose son garnered scouting’s highest honor, the Eagle Scout award, and has gone on to be an accomplished young adult despite having Down syndrome, said he’s “confident that the Words Matter Act will bring us one step closer to ushering our U.S. Code into the present.”
“While this change is long past due, I am pleased to be a lead co-sponsor of this bipartisan legislation which amends dated language to ‘intellectual disability’ for federal laws. Those with Down syndrome are a blessing from God and deserve to be respected as such,” he said.
Norton, whose daughter Katherine has Down syndrome, said she would be appalled at the thought of someone using the word “retarded” toward her.
“It is inexcusable that the word is still part of the U.S. Code. Our country is better than this,” she said.
The Words Matter Act is endorsed by the Special Olympics, the Global Down Syndrome Foundation, the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities, the Association of University Centers on Disabilities, and the National Down Syndrome Society.
Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue
