Urgent - Ministerial Maternity Bill this Thursday 11/02

[ConservativesForWomen]

#SixWords
For the word ‘person’ substitute ‘woman’

It is beyond belief that it has taken governments 103 years to notice women in government may have babies. We are very pleased to see long overdue recognition of this fact.

But it is unacceptable that this bill talks about ‘pregnant people’ and makes no mention of women at all. This is not a situation that will ever apply to a male minister, so why the obfuscation of language?

The Equality Act 2010 is very clear; it talks about pregnancy and maternity using ordinary language. Women. She. Her.

We are encouraging everyone to contact their MP as a matter of urgency; there is less than 48 hours before this bill is presented. See our example letter here:
docs.google.com/document/d/1B24BPG-OL9-3I3vvm_mfR6UnVjVAkVXj6KI2gHG_dUY/edit?usp=sharing

Amend it as you see fit, even telephone your MP if you are able to. Language matters. Sex matters. Women must not be erased. Please email or call your MP TODAY. Share this post across your networks; it affects all women and all political parties.

This excellent article by @MForstater gives more detail. (Thank you Maya).

mforstater.medium.com/pregnant-people-in-parliament-62adaa521c2d

“Giving birth is not like chairing a meeting. It cannot be done by a person of either sex.”

Less than 48 hours to go. #SixWords (with respect to @JohannLamont) and with thanks to @StoatlyL for initiating this and providing the draft email text.

twitter.com/CforWomenUK/status/1359109798944534537?s=20

www.facebook.com/Conservatives-For-Women-104300591505734

FFS! Why can't they say "female" if they can't bring themselves to use "women"?

I’ve just emailed mine. She’s SNP and a lost cause but worth a go.

My MP is woker than woke and would probably hunt me down with a meat-hook if I wrote to them about this.

Mine's SNP too. If you contact him about women's rights he ignores you on everything else. His staff filter out the nasty women, wanting their rights, even if you're contacting him about something unrelated.

So you get put on a black-list?

So the SNP must now be following what someone was advocating in Ireland - not representing "terfs"?

Yep. I tweeted about a non women's rights issue and he was all over trying to help, send me your details, ill sort it for you etc etc. I'm anonymous on Twitter.

Sent him them via DM, then email, then I phoned. Radio silence.

Done. Thanks, great letter.

Short version of example email now available for those who have an MP with a limited attention span......

docs.google.com/document/d/1gif2dXl3EcFqbBab8SMO4J-3pLwq9O6KcD9QtLuynek/edit?usp=sharing

Done

These are the people behind the bill; very disappointing to see Liz Truss there but wonder if she saw the wording?
If any of these are your MP, please email them.

Written to mine.

Done

Done but also SNP & has me on the uppity woman list

Thanks for the link - I have written. Penny Mordaunt is captured I think?

I have written to my MP as well.

Thank you for preparing the letter and raising the alarm!

We've written to Liz Truss, Kemi B, and Lord Hunt and will be tweeting to them and to Jackie Doyle-Price. Plus members are writing to individual MPs.

Re Liz Truss not being aware of the wording, it appears the gender-neutral stupidity might be an oversight rather than an intent to undermine women's rights. In which case an amendment is likely to pass. But the more people they hear from the better. We don't want this to become the default.

Done

Oh FFS

Will send another email

Relevant - From Twitter:

"Govt policies have repeatedly skewed towards men –& it keeps happening"

twitter.com/abicadams/status/1359055260204023808

And:

twitter.com/PregnantScrewed/status/1359153363481468932

Detailed Thread on the report's findings & recommendations (and Pregnant then Screwed are hiring - Head of Ops)

pregnantthenscrewed.com/work-for-us/

It takes over 2 months for my LD MP to respond and then he ignores the main thrust of my email.

Emailed Liz Truss and my MP - though the latter is a Labour MP, so about as much use as a chocolate teapot when it comes to defending sex-based... anything.

Have emailed Liz Truss as my MP will ignore

Hi. I’m really keen to contact my MP but having problems accessing the draft letter. Could someone possibly pm the text to me? It won’t surprise him to hear from me (again!!) on these issues!!

Thanks for the nudge. Have written to mine who is the actual Cabinet Minister/Attorney General who needs to take maternity leave at the end of the month, hence the rushed legislation.

I wrote:
"I am sure that there have been many cabinet ministers whose female partners have given birth over the years but you need this legislation precisely because you are a 'woman' not because you are a 'person'..."

FPFW have unearthed this appalling bit of 'gender-neutral' misogyny.

@fairplaywomen
The government is erasing women from legislation. Only women miscarry.
Section 3(2) “a pregnancy loss occurs when a person's pregnancy ends and, after being parted from the person, the foetus does not breathe or show any other sign of life”
legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2019/12

Truly dehumanising.