The US State Department has rowed back on its controversial decision to remove the terms ‘mother’ and ‘father’ from passports and replace them with ‘Parent A’ and ‘Parent B’.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (pictured) presumably ordered the pull back to avoid the political damage that would presumably have resulted. A number of pro-family groups expressed concern at the original move, and such groups have significant political clout in the US.

The State Department said Saturday that Clinton had instructed the Department to retain “mother” and “father” in passport applications as well as in a form known as a “Consular Report of Birth Abroad” that U.S. embassies use to document the birth of a child to expatriate Americans.

Instead, the forms will now ask for the names of the child’s “mother or parent 1” and “father or parent 2.”

Homosexual rights groups had welcomed the initial change, which was announced with little fanfare in late December. But pro-family groups called it an attack on traditional marriage and family values.

However, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Saturday that Clinton had not been aware that the terms “mother” and “father” would be stricken from the consular birth reports and passport applications when she signed off on broader changes to the documents last year.

“She has directed that the relevant forms retain the existing references to ‘mother’ and ‘father’ in addition to the designation ‘parent,’ ” Crowley said.

When it was originally announced that the terms ‘mother’ and ‘father’ would be replaced altogether, pro-family groups naturally expressed their dismay.

“Only in the topsy-turvy world of left-wing political correctness could it be considered an ‘improvement’ for a birth-related document to provide less information about the circumstances of that birth,” Family Research Council president Tony Perkins.

“This is clearly designed to advance the causes of same-sex ‘marriage’ and homosexual parenting without statutory authority, and violates the spirit if not the letter of the Defense of Marriage Act.”

The controversy recalls the decision of the Spanish Government some years ago to replace the words “father” and “mother” with the terms “Progenitor A” and “Progenitor B” on official forms.

Thankfully, on this occasion, a certain amount common sense has prevailed.