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.

health policy and personal health are not the same. I have a degree in healthcare and know almost everything there is to know about nutrition and lifestyle effects on health. I choose to eat what I want , smoke and drink alcohol fairly often because I’m 40 and I have had a wonderfully exciting life and I can’t be arsed to get old to the extent I’m no longer nice to look at or can go off and have fun ! I’m happy to have the family heart attack around the age they all do . No one in living memory in my family has ever gone into a care home or needed any help at home. The week before my gran died she cycled to do her weekly shop and mowed her own lawn . We all self destruct and drop dead around 70 and it’s great because no one needs looking after or becomes a burden and no ones money gets spent on care. So I’m fully aware I’m probably cultivating all kinds of nasties in my cells and blood vessels and I intend to continue because it beats getting old.
more people think like this than people realise I believe.
being anti abortion is being anti women though and I hope her Catholicism doesn’t come into play with any decisions around this. I think in the U.K. we’re reasonably safe from that happening . It’s only happened in America because they’re all bible mad and as a nation we aren’t .

With you, op. Looking forward to seeing her do the regular talk on how the rise is obesity is putting pressure on the NHS. Not knocking her appearance: it really doesn't matter what she looks like from a personal pov, but in that particular job she does provide validation for people in denial about excess weight impacting health.
I know Kenneth Clarke was a tubby cigar-smoking minister of health but that was in the late 80s and times have changed.
As for the abortion, gay marriage things, it's indicative of a mindset that's not going to be open to tolerance and empathy. But then again, perhaps only a ruthless analytical mind is capable of dealing with the multifarious problems of the NHS. It's not going to go well, I feel.

I would have thought that a doctor of all people would understand there are many reasons why a person might struggle to reach a healthy weight that are not connected to their attitude or knowledge.

Also as the op is also a practicing catholic supporter of abortion it shouldn't be impossible to wrap your head around the new HS having personal principles that she would personally live by, and political principles about what needs to be available in a modern humane society. You always have to make policy decisions for people doing nothing illegal and absolutely fine for them, but something you wouldn't personally choose to do, it's nothing new.

ah - that makes sense

You don't share her values or experiences so I doubt spending time in an abortion clinic would change her views. Religious freedom is just as important as abortion. You can't and shouldn't sacrifice one for the other. We're not the US, abortion rights are not at risk and the groups trying to shift the Overtoun window to pretend they are, are doing vast damage.

I think the entire NHS is at risk under the Tories but using abortion as a trojan horse for fat-shaming, misogyny and religious bigotry, isn't the enlightened position you think it is.

I disagree with her views on abortion, but as long as they don't influence public policy then it's fine. I don't think any UK Government would be stupid enough to get involved with removal of women's rights in this regard - they all know it's a vote loser.

It's actually quite refreshing to have someone in the public eye who doesn't conform to narrow stereotypes about appearance "clean living" etc. She is entitled to live her life however she wishes, so good for her!

Let's give her a chance. You can still parrot the "Tories are destroying/privatising/giving the NHS to their chums" mantra which has been around for decades whilst the NHS behemoth grows ever bigger.

Out of interest, what is wrong with being Catholic? Would you also apply the "against the teachings of their faith" test to MPs of other religions? As long as she acts for all her faith is irrelevant.

I'm an obese HCP. What are you going to do about it?

What are you going to do about the alcoholic doctors? The physios who drive without seatbelts? The radiographers who smoke? The anorexic nurses? The doctors who shitpost on Mumsnet?

I'm as Labour as they come but your frothing, hateful, misogynistic post is crap. She will be an awful minister but not because she eats a few fucking pies. Give me strength.

Oh and I'm Catholic and pro choice. Stick that in your cigar and smoke it.

Ken Clarke

Ah it didn't take long for the predictable knee-jerk bigotry to turn up. Any other religions that should be prevented from standing for office and being prevented from taking government roles? Personal views to be pre screened out on any other of the innumerable issues that governments deal with?

Overweight women, smokers, drinkers (it didn't stop Kenneth Clarke from being SoS for Health, as well as Chancellor and other top posts. Oh, he's a man). Drinkers - that would eliminate most of the Commons and Lords. Meat eaters? Car drivers? Single people. Gamblers. Users of pornography? (Didn't hinder James Cleverly's ministerial career. Oh, a man). Interesting that many doctors and nurses are overweight and are allowed to do their jobs. Same with police officers, even the army. Teachers - setting a bad example. There should be a law against it!

How many women in the waiting room at Marie Stopes are going to want to talk to a politician about why they are there today? The only ones who would be happy to do it are the ones least likely to be able to change her mind - it's not those who are happy to talk and content with their decision she'd need to hear from, it's the terrified, heartbroken, abused and desperate women that have crept out of the house to have the procedure and would be at risk of violence and murder if their decisions were public or in a photo opportunity/caught in a background shot that are the important ones.

Just by being there, she could put off some of those women for fear of being seen. It would attract more protestors knowing there would be an influential and possibly sympathetic minister there. There would be department staff, security, probably press even if they were told not to bring them. All extremely off-putting for those whose visit mustn't ever be known.

I genuinely don’t care if my doctor is 32 stone. The same as I wouldn’t care if an oncologist treating me for lung cancer was a smoker, or the doctor treating me for liver failure was a heavy drinker. All I care about is their ability to do their job to a good standard so I stand the best possible chance of recovery.

I care even less about the weight or smoking habits of someone who is paid to come up with NHS policies. Here, I’m only concerned with their intentions towards what’s left of the NHS.

Very funny. Fortunately BMI isn't on the essential criteria for many jobs.

What do you think it would achieve? That her political stance might change if she sees reality? I think that's highly unlikely to happen as someone has to start from a position of willing to be proved wrong and have their opinions change. I haven't seen any evidence of that willingness existing in any senior conservative politician for years. They have their dogma and they stick to it regardless of any evidence to the contrary. Just look at Brexit!

Her personal views are hers but the fact the voted against equal marriage suggests she's willing to push them on others.

I hope she does privatise the NHS so doctors become service providers rather than (very fallible) gods as they believe to be.

If Coffey is against abortion, let her be. I actually admire an MP who has values. I think 12 weeks limit makes perfect sense, 24 weeks is absolutely obscene (and thankfully rarely used). To the OP, if she went to an abortion clinic she would probably abolish it completely. So you are being very very unreasonable

Those "values" led her to vote against equal marriage and abortion rights in Northern Ireland. No thanks.

And fuck people who wouldn't be able to afford healthcare, so long as it furthers your bizarre grudge against doctors.

How is it obscene if its rarely used?

I think the OP is saying that speaking with women whobhave abortions rather than demonising them might give her a new perspective, but that assumes Therese Coffe has empathy.

Attack her for her views on abortion. But don’t attack her for her weight! Saying that having a high BMI means someone has no concept of being healthy is rubbish and offensive. She has already came out and said she is no role model in terms of health, so she is obviously self aware of her lifestyle. It does not affect her ability to do the job. In fact if this government had a clue it could be a good thing, she could face stop smoking and healthy eating campaigns “couch to 5k with Therese”

On the other hand her views on abortion are very concerning, especially considering what happened in the US.

I presume she will be as useless, deceiving, corrupt and self serving as all the other recent Tory ministers