Trans campaigner blasts 'ridiculous' move to cut word 'woman' from NHS advice
7 June 2022, 09:50
Trans campaigner blasts 'ridiculous' move to remove word 'woman' from NHS advice
The decision to remove gendered terms from some NHS health advice has been savaged as "ridiculous" and "dangerous" by a prominent trans rights campaigner.
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In an apparent effort to be more inclusive to those born as men, but who identify as women, gender neutral language is now used on the NHS webpages for ovarian, womb and cervical cancer.
This is despite these conditions only affecting those born with female biology.
Speaking to Nick Ferrari on LBC Debbie Hayton, a transgender activist and writer, warned this could confuse the public.
She said: "It is ridiculous, it's not helpful especially for women with low literacy who speak English as a second language - this could be quite harmful, and it doesn't help anybody.
"Interestingly the equivalent [NHS] pages for testicular cancer and prostate cancer still include men.
"We don't need to be pandered to. We need to be treated like adults.
"I am transgender but I'm not someone who is at odds with reality of it.
Ms Hayton argued people biological sex remains unchanged, even after they have transitioned.
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As a result she believes gendered terms are still useful for healthcare.
The writer explained: "The reality is we all have a biological sex that we cannot change. We keep that sex.
"It may cause us psychological problems that we take steps to deal with but we don't change our sex.
"My sex is still male - if I need to be screened for cancer it's prostate cancer I still need to be screened for.
"When the NHS is treating people it's treating people bodies.
"Those bodies have a sex and it's important we recognise that sex when we're seeking treatment."
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