To think the new health secretary should spend a day at an abortion clinic ?

[Goldencup]

So apart from the fact that she is clearly clinically obese and smokes cigars ! Our new health secretary is also an anti abortionist, being a practicing Catholic. I was also raised as a Catholic to be believe abortion was wrong, but becoming a doctor and a mother has changed my mind 360 (or 180) on this. The pivitol moment for me was attending TOP lists as a medical student and talking to the women, realising that it is nearly always the least worst choice of a variety of pretty dire options. If this women (Coffe) is to stand in judgment on thousands of women than perhaps she should dip her toe into the reality. BTW I would also advocate a 12 hr shift on her feet on as an HCA on the dementia wards.

I agree with your abortion statement but my god, the clinically obese bit… what are you saying here - that only someone with a good BMI can be Health Secretary?

perhaps the new Health Secretary could have a proper personal perspective on the issue, rather than having to be some kind of unnecessary “role model” in their looks?

Before anyone starts on me, I am a lifelong distance runner so my BMI is “good” but that’s not the point - I support Therese Coffey for getting the job as herself, who she is today, and hope she excels in it.

Her personal views and voting history are a concern. It’s about time abortion was decriminalised in the U.K., especially after Roe v Wade turnaround. The 1967 Abortion Act requirements aren’t strong enough in protecting women’s reproductive rights.

I'm not worried (yet) about Coffey and abortion - her personal views are hers.

I think she's there to shift NHS privatisation several more notches. Much more worried about that because I don't think Truss has the brains to do anything remotely imaginative or on that scale. I'm not saying there couldn't be change to the NHS but I don't trust this lot not to just break it up without understanding what they are doing.

I agree with your abortion statement but my god, the clinically obese bit… what are you saying here - that only someone with a good BMI can be Health Secretary?

Someone with a basic understanding of health ? - yes, I think that should be a pre- requisite for what is effectively the boss of the entire NHS.

I find this woman to be utterly disgusting... in everyway!!!

I'm not worried (yet) about Coffey and abortion - her personal views are hers.

Except when she votes, she voted against same sex marriage several times.

I agree she doesn't look the picture of heath, but bizarrely it's never been a pre requisite of the role to have sort of health knowledge.

We have had male, obese smokers as Health secretaries before (you may be too young to remember) so YABU. Do we require chancellors to be self-made millionaires? Education secretaries to have PHDs? The photo of her with a cigar is clearly a very old one. It’s so tiring to see women happily slagging off other women for not being perfect.

This has nothing to do with her being female, I would say the same of a man. How can she really with a straight face talk about health promotion strategies?

Which health secretary was obese ?
The links between obesity, cancer and dementia has become clear in the last 10-15 yrs. Science is funny like that it makes progress and discovers new things.

What was acceptable in the 80's or 90's (casual sexism, heavy drinking, smoking in the work place) is hardly relevant in 2002.

Can’t see why spending the day at an abortion clinic would change her views. It might even confirm them.

I assumed she was hired to sort out the massive backlog in the NHS and avert a winter crisis not lead body pump. The NHS is a behemoth of an organisation that is going to require a lot of effort and brain power to improve. I saw so many comments about this in the times, trashing her for her appearance. I want the health secretary to be smart more than I want her to be a slim non smoker. It’s extraordinary to me anyone thinks this is a valid criticism of her. I don’t think I have ever looked at the health secretary and thought, thats my role model for fitness goals.

Her abortion stance is because she’s a practicing catholic (I think it’s awful personally) she’s apparently very much on the left of the party.

I mean if you care about BMI as being a qualifying factor in being the health secretary rather than I don’t know actual ability to do the job we could ask Rees-Mogg to do it.

With regard to obesity - she will have probably spent a lot of time thinking about government policies what might work to tackle the obesity crisis and perhaps we will have some action on our obesogenic environment and less talk of ‘personal responsibility’ which has been a failing strategy for the last 40 years at least.

*that might work

I think it is an uninformed opinion (I might be wrong) it is very easy to be theoretically opposed to something you have no personal experience of. Much harder to talk to real women and continue to hold those views. She has no experience of pregnancy or childbirth. As I said in my OP talking to the women seeking late term abortions was transformative for me.

When I read her personal MP page I was in fact a bit reassured, she sounded perfectly rational and at least seemed to be pro action on climate change.

It may be a shock to hear this but I encounter lots of obese people in the NHS - particularly on the wards of course given the effect of obesity on health, but also in the staff teams and including myself unfortunately. She may have a deeper understanding of health because she's bound to have had issues because of it, goodness knows I have.

I don't see why there's a need

Abortion clinics are private sector concerns.

NHS TOP services take place within wider obs/gyn departments (in most of the country, I guess some places like London might be big enough to have some free-standing ones, even there it's not the main way)

Telling the new health secretary to spend time observing places for private provision of services seems an entire waste of time.

And would of course raise suspicions of a privatisation agenda

I think there are considerably more pressing issues that need to be tackled this autumn

(PS: I remember the lead public engagement official of the 1990 who used to accompany Virginia Bottomley around when she was Health Secretary - they were a heavy smoker. It's sometimes about the person in ways that outweigh, the habits and the appearances)

This. She is fundamentally unfit to be health secretary in every way. Hopefully her tenure will be very short lived.

If this is Liz Truss's standard of common sense, we are all in for a miserable year or two.🙁

She said only this year that she doesn't like abortions and wishes people didn't get them, but wouldn't condemn people that do. And that the law isn't going to change on abortion.

Which is perfectly acceptable stance really.

I don’t care a jot about her size or how many cigar she smokes or what karaoke songs she likes to sing in her spare time - all I care about is whether she can sort out the mess that is healthcare in this country.

She is liz' best mate so allegedly had her pick of the jobs. Nothing to suggest she's particularly suited to the role specifically. Given that she votes against women's reproductive rights, equality for gay couples and always votes against benefit rises (even had a run in with Marcus Rashford) I'm curious in what abilities she seems to possess that make her better than someone randomly picked out from the cabinet. Her voting history doesn't seem to suggest she's bothered about people having access to healthcare despite their financial standing so rest in peace NHS.

Shes like Ann Widdecombe. And that's not good

This has nothing to do with her being female, I would say the same of a man. How can she really with a straight face talk about health promotion strategies?

So do you also think all doctors and nurses should be a healthy weight? They have to talk to the public face to face about issues surrounding obesity.

She's stated the law won't be changing.

I'm sure it'll be spotted if there is any sniff that she will change from her publicly stated position.

She has suggested a 12 week limit. Terminations after 12 weeks are usually the most needed and affect vulnerable women and girls disproportionately. There is a lot of speculation around abortion services presently as the telemedicine model introduced in the pandemic and largely welcomed by clients is being questioned. I am concerned that a significant tightening of access will affect women and girls in vulnerable situations and may lead to increased numbers of unintended pregnancies and births.

It might be an idea for her to visit one for a morning yes. I assume she would be doing lots of visiting places?