2026-06-08 22:39:25-04:00 / 福克斯新闻
该法案将修订《普通法》中的346个条款，现已提交给州长莫拉·希利签署
作者：兰登·米恩 福克斯新闻
发布于 2026年6月8日美国东部夏令时晚上10:39 | 更新于 2026年6月8日美国东部夏令时晚上10:40
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马萨诸塞州议会通过一项法案，将移除该州《普通法》中用来指代残疾人的“过时且冒犯性语言”。
该法案将废除“残废（handicapped）”“残疾（disabled）”以及“R词”等各类歧视性用语，转而使用“残疾人（persons with a disability）”“智力或发育障碍者（person with an intellectual or developmental disability）”等表述。
这项由民主党州参议员帕特·耶伦提出、共有17名联署者的法案，现已提交给民主党州长莫拉·希利签署。
这份长达61页的法案将修订马萨诸塞州法律中的346个条款。
加州学区董事会成员因发言者用“无家可归者（homeless）”而非“无居所者（unhoused）”称“个人感到冒犯”
这份长达61页的法案将修订马萨诸塞州法律中的346个条款。（盖蒂图片社）
“语言一直在变化。这种变化源于长期以来被忽视和羞辱的群体的维权行动。”该法案的主要参议院发起人、民主党州参议员帕特·耶伦在一份声明中表示，“当人们告诉我们，使用过时词汇会让他们感到被侮辱和冒犯时，我们就致力于修改法律用语。这项工作耗时良久，因为我们不断发现更多冒犯性语言的例子。语言和维权行动将持续演变，总会有更多工作要做，但这是在尊重他人方面迈出的巨大一步。”
法案中包含的部分更新用语包括：将“残疾人士（disabled person）”改为“残疾人（person with a disability）”，将“残废（handicapped）”改为“残疾（disability）”，将“弱智（retarded）”改为“智力或发育障碍者（person with an intellectual or developmental disability）”等表述。
该法案还将废除指代残疾人的“跛子（crippled）”和“畸形者（deformed）”等用语。
该法案将废除“残废（handicapped）”“残疾（disabled）”以及“R词”等各类歧视性用语。（林赛·尼科尔森/UCG/环球图片社）
“听力受损（hearing-impaired）”被修订为“聋人或听力困难者（deaf or hard of hearing）”，“慢性病患者（chronically ill）”被改为“慢性病患者群体（persons who are chronically ill）”。
此外，该法案还修订了具体的法律定义，包括修改当前“护理者（caretaker）”的定义——原定义指对“残疾人士”负责的个人或实体——新定义将使用“残疾人（a person with a disability）”这一表述。
“当过去时代遗留的陈腐且有害的糟粕玷污了我们的法律，就可能对当今的居民造成实际伤害。”参议院议长、民主党人卡伦·斯皮尔卡在一份声明中表示，“多亏了前参议院工作人员梅利莎·赖利等维权人士的发声，以及耶伦参议员和肯尼迪参议员的领导，议会采取行动，让我们的法律更能体现21世纪马萨诸塞州的真实面貌。”
马萨诸塞州取消针对寄养父母资质审批的有争议性别意识形态指令
该法案现已提交给民主党州长莫拉·希利签署。（亚当·格伦斯曼/彭博社 via 盖蒂图片社）
她补充道：“如今白宫美化甚至似乎渴望回到许多美国人因自身身份遭受歧视的时代，现在正是我们确保州法律尊重并支持本州居民权利与尊严的时候。”
此项法案通过之前，马萨诸塞州已于2024年通过一项法律，将马萨诸塞州康复委员会更名为“马萨能力委员会（MassAbility）”，州官员称此举是为了推动残疾服务现代化、促进包容。该法律同样体现了摒弃州官员口中的过时或冒犯性用语的整体趋势。
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“作为议员，我们深知语言的重要性。”州众议院议长、民主党人罗纳德·J·马里亚诺表示，“这项立法是我们最新的努力，旨在确保州法律不再使用带有负面含义的陈旧词汇，这些词汇也会让人想起过去的不公。”
该法案在议会获得广泛支持，两院均以全票记录通过。
福克斯新闻数字频道已联系马萨诸塞州共和党征求评论。
Massachusetts lawmakers pass bill to scrap ‘offensive language’ from state’s General Laws
2026-06-08 22:39:25-04:00 / Fox News
The measure, which updates 346 sections of General Laws, now heads to Gov Maura Healey’s desk
By Landon Mion Fox News
Published June 8, 2026 10:39pm EDT | Updated June 8, 2026 10:40pm EDT
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The Massachusetts legislature passed a bill that would remove “outdated and offensive language” used to describe people with disabilities in the state’s General Laws.
The measure would eliminate various terms, including “handicapped,” “disabled,” and the “r-word” in favor of language such as “persons with a disability” and “person with an intellectual or developmental disability.”
The bill, which was introduced by Democratic state Sen. Pat Jehlen and listed with 17 petitioners, now heads to Democrat Gov. Maura Healey’s desk.
The 61-page bill updates 346 sections of Massachusetts law.
CALIFORNIA SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER ‘PERSONALLY OFFENDED’ WHEN SPEAKER SAYS ‘HOMELESS’ INSTEAD OF ‘UNHOUSED’
The 61-page bill updates 346 sections of Massachusetts law.(Getty Images)
“Language is constantly changing.And it’s changing because of the activism of people who were ignored and demeaned for too long,” Democrat state Sen. Pat Jehlen, the Senate’s primary sponsor of the legislation, said in a statement. “When people tell us they feel insulted and offended by the use of outdated words, we worked to change the legal language. It took a long time, because we kept finding more examples of offensive language. Language and activism will continue to evolve, and there’ll always be more work to do, but this is a gigantic step forward in respect.”
Some of the updated language featured in the bill includes replacing “disabled person” with “person with a disability,” “handicapped” with “disability” and “retarded” with phrases such as “person with an intellectual or developmental disability.”
The legislation also scraps terms such as “crippled” and “deformed” when referring to people with disabilities.
The measure would eliminate various terms, including “handicapped,” “disabled,” and the “r-word.”(Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group)
The term “hearing-impaired” was revised to “deaf or hard of hearing” and the “chronically ill” was changed to “persons who are chronically ill.”
Additionally, the bill amends specific legal definitions, including changing the current definition of “caretaker” — which describes an individual or entity responsible for a “disabled person” — to instead use the phrase “a person with a disability.”
“When dusty and dangerous relics of a bygone era darken our laws, it creates the potential for real harm to residents today,” Senate President Karen Spilka, a Democrat, said in a statement. “Thanks to the voices of advocates like former Senate staff member Melissa Reilly and the leadership of Senator Jehlen and Senator Kennedy, the Legislature has acted to make our laws better represent who we are in 21st-century Massachusetts.”
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The bill now heads to Democrat Gov. Maura Healey’s desk.(Adam Glanzman/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“With a White House that glorifies, and seemingly longs for, the days when many Americans were discriminated against because of who they are, now is the time to make sure our state laws respect and support the rights and dignity of our residents,” she added.
The passage of this measure comes after a 2024 law that renamed the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission to MassAbility, which state officials argued was a display of a broader effort to modernize disability services and promote inclusion. That law also reflected a broader move away from terms state officials described as outdated or offensive.
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“As lawmakers, we know that words matter,” said state Speaker of the House Ronald J. Mariano, a Democrat.”This legislation is our latest effort to ensure that our state laws do not use antiquated words that carry negative connotations, words that also serve as a reminder of past injustices.”
The bill passed with broad legislative support, including unanimous recorded votes in both chambers.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Massachusetts GOP for comment.
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