Ohios proposed Natural Family Month faces backlash from LGBTQ parents

Over two dozen Ohio lawmakers are pushing a bill that designates the weeks between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day as “Natural Family Month,” sparking backlash from some LGBTQ families, according to reports.State Reps.Beth Lear and Josh Williams, both Republicans, said they introduced House Bill 262 to celebrate families and emphasize their critical role in society, at a time when marriages and birth rates are declining.“At a time when marriage is trending downward and young couples are often choosing to remain childless, it’s important for the State of Ohio to make a statement that marriage and families are the cornerstone of civil society, and absolutely imperative if we want to maintain a healthy and stable Republic,” Rep.

Lear said in a press release.“With America facing declining birth rates and a shrinking population, we can no longer afford to ignore the foundational role that strong families play in sustaining our future,” Rep.Williams also said in a statement.“H.B.

262 is about more than policy—it’s about promoting the economic and social stability that comes from raising children in healthy, two-parent households.We must use every tool at our disposal to support the families that are building the next generation of Americans,” he added.The bill does not define what makes a “natural” family, but Williams told NBC News the bill is intended to “promote natural families—meaning a man, a woman, and their children—as a way to encourage higher birth rates.”Birth rates in the U.S.

fell to a historic low in 2023, according to a report by the CDC published last year.The CDC recently reported that birth rates increased by 1% in 2023, which “drove a less than 1% increase in the general fertility rate.”Some marriage rates have also experienced a downward shift over the past few decades.The Pew Research Center reported that the number of 40-year-olds in the U.S.

who have never been married reached a record high in 20...