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Petitions and activism

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

We cannot live in a World where we cannot say the words girls, women, pregnant women and mothers.

34 replies

JustSayMother · 29/03/2026 17:44

We cannot live in a World where we cannot say the words girls, women, pregnant women and mothers.

Have we completely lost our words? We're campaigning for the importance of sex-based language, but right now it feels like we've brainwashed a whole generation of women into not being able to say the words: girl, woman, pregnant woman, mother.

Last year we launched a petition that got over 12,000 signatures. It was depressing to see how few that was. In a country of over 29 million women, only 12,000 think pregnant women should actually be called pregnant women? We believe more women agree with us but our petitions have been supressed.

Every time we complained to MPS, to the NHS, about the desexing of our words it was ignored in more cases, only rarely did they agree with us. Now many women charities and colleges have decided without discussions with women to desex our words.

That's upsetting. Women are dying because they're not getting proper care, yet Wes thinks the word "and" is more important than "woman".

Even the WHO, MPs, bills, consultations and research papers have all stopped naming us. At what point do women wake up? There's even a charity going into schools telling girls not to call themselves girls when they talk about periods.

We're looking for more women to join this campaign. We need to get it set up on other platforms and keep the focus clear: sex-based language matters, it's not hateful to ask for it, and erasing it is leaving women feeling invisible and distressed.

We're asking the GOV now to provide research because when we requested that our words be restored, the response was simply "and".

The last petition got dismissed when Wes said "and" was the fix, yet this isn't happening to men – unless you at the NICE comms who have decided to stopped saying "men" too. They have no science evidence to prove gender neutral wording is helpful. We know it is not. Because it is harming us.

It's dangerous, distressing and genuinely upsetting. If you agree, please help us and tell us why these words matter to you.

The Government claims it cares about girls and women, yet it's quietly deleting the words "pregnant women" and "mother" from Parliament and official consultations."Women and birthing people" doesn't help either. Imagine a woman who's just miscarried her baby being called a "birthing person".
it is distressing and triggering

No matter how some women feel about the word "woman", our language isn't up for compromise. We fought hard for our rights as women – we shouldn't have to erase who we are.

If you're with us, let us know. We need more women on board.

we need more signatures, our first petition was rejected under the Conservatives, if we had a wish, it is to have our words restored.

Prof Alice Sullivan shared our petition and said this,
"Isn't it interesting that desexed language was brought in to healthcare without any research on the consequences?"

https://x.com/ProfAliceS/status/2016208406160265253?s=20

it is not hateful or shameful for our female sex words to be named in bills, policies and consultations and we want Wes to have a meeting with women who have rejected the desexing of women words.

Therefore we need 100,000 to sign this petition and follow our account.

We owe it to our daughters because they are not people who bleed, they are young girls, young women and deserve to be named.

Far too many women have been cancelled and silenced and told they are hateful for simply wanting our words restored.

hope women can stand by us and help us restore our words which we NEVER gave permission for anyone to delete, especially men who think they can tell us its hateful to remove the word "pregnant women" and replace it with the words "pregnant people"

when women are still dying in pregnancy and women health and care is underfunded, we here to save our words. Hope you agree we must not let our words disappear.

@justsay_mother

at the moment 4,591 signatures hope you can help us get it to 100,000 it simply is not a strong enough message to send our MPS, do you want our words to be restored, then please sign this petition,

save women words here by signing here.

We cannot live in a World where we cannot say the words girls, women, pregnant women and mothers.
OP posts:
IGuessIllbetheFirst · 29/03/2026 17:53

Completely agree - just signed

Clariana · 29/03/2026 17:56

Agreed and signed

Gotback · 29/03/2026 18:00

Thank you. I've signed.

lcakethereforeIam · 29/03/2026 18:05

I've already signed it. Thank you for boosting it.

EasternStandard · 29/03/2026 18:05

Thanks op I’ve signed.

hididdlyho · 29/03/2026 18:10

Signed, but it's ridiculous that this petition even needs to exist.

Raquelos · 29/03/2026 18:13

done. Thanks OP

moto748e · 29/03/2026 18:14

It's sinister, this smash-and-grab on the meaning of words, and it needs to be fought every inch of the way. if anything needs to go in the dustbin, it's 'gender' and 'cis'.

NeartoNewquay · 29/03/2026 18:15

Signed. Thanks OP

TwoLoonsAndASprout · 29/03/2026 18:16

Signed!

TheywontletmehavethenameIwant · 29/03/2026 18:19

Signed. Pregnant 'people' is so infuriating, as is all of the GI language.

PassTheHanky · 29/03/2026 18:24

Signed by me and DH

kljdhs877 · 29/03/2026 18:27

Signed and shared with people I trust (because sadly if I did it more openly than that I would be open to a level of scrutiny personally and professionally I’m not comfortable with, what a world 🙄)

Nibbits · 29/03/2026 18:52

Thanks OP, tried to sign it and it told me I've already done it. I don't think women are uncaring about the issue, it's probably because not enough are aware of the petition.

KimMumsnet · 29/03/2026 20:02

Hi, OP. We only allow petitions to be posted on the Petitions & Activism board, so we've moved your thread now.

LadyCathdeBourgh · 29/03/2026 20:26

Agree and signed.

JustSayMother · 31/03/2026 18:34

IGuessIllbetheFirst · 29/03/2026 17:53

Completely agree - just signed

thankyou, if you can all help us get to 100,000 to help us get our MP's into parliament, thanks so much, if anyone has any examples let us know.

OP posts:
JustSayMother · 31/03/2026 18:37

KimMumsnet · 29/03/2026 20:02

Hi, OP. We only allow petitions to be posted on the Petitions & Activism board, so we've moved your thread now.

please can you show us where this is please? can we post this here if we take the link out? for too long we have been silenced, we are now know as parents rather than mothers, and to us, this is not activism to ask for women language to be restored. in fact we should not have to do a petition to even ask for our words to be restored, but here we are in 2026 doing this, if you can forward the link to where this has been moved to, thanks as cannot find it
thankyou

OP posts:
3beesinmybonnet · 31/03/2026 18:49

Signed, also by DH

FlippyKiYayFlippyFlipper · 31/03/2026 18:55

Signed thanks for sharing

GandTtwice · 31/03/2026 19:25

Signed

moto748e · 31/03/2026 19:30

Signed, but it's only on 4700 odd.

FranticFrankie · 31/03/2026 19:33

Already signed

lcakethereforeIam · 31/03/2026 19:36

OP MN will let you post a link to this thread on other threads. If anyone is on any other SM (X, Facebook, etc.) please spread the word too.

Davros · 31/03/2026 19:36

Just signed ✍️