New Scientist magazine and 'pregnant people'

[VeronicaBeccabunga]

Similarly to the Science Museum [in a previous thread] New Scientist magazine seems to be a bit lacking in basic science.
I've emailed them today about an article in this week's issue about the safety of covid-19 vaccines in pregnancy.
The article refers to 'pregnant people' about a dozen times, including in a photo caption, and to women only twice, once in a direct quote from the co-author of the study.
We are also told that, of the participants in the study, '97% identified as women'.
I feel sure that of all publications NS ought to know that 'pregnant people' are all women. It doesn't matter in the slightest how anyone 'identifies' in this context.
I'm disappointed in a magazine that I always thought was supportive of women in science, and believed to be factual.

What about transgender men who are pregnant? They presumably would rather not be referred to as a woman.

I guess it's also including non-binary people who are female sexed and therefore able to be pregnant, but who don't identify as a woman

Then use "pregnant women and transgender men" or "pregnant women and other pregnant people".

Well they could. Or they could use the shorter, 'pregnant people'.

Their sex is female @Holly60, so they are women, whether they like to be referred to in that way or not.

But I don't remember women being asked if they wanted to be referred to as vagina havers, uterus havers, cervix havers or just 'people'.

Why are so many people bending over backwards to accommodate some people's struggle with accepting reality, while ignoring the majority of women?

But all those people are women.

It's not really shorter if you take into account all the complaints from women that the term pregnant people results in

Or they could just say "pregnant women". Woman = human adult female. I can call myself a chair, doesn't make me one. It's incredibly disrespectful to tell 99% (or whatever it is) of women that our name is now taboo because a few women have a gender identity disorder/issue/whatever.

This is insane. So 3% of the pregnant people identified as men?

No, they are all female sexed. Some of them will identify as transgender men, non-binary etc.

Sex is biological fact. The rest of it is open to interpretation. I accept that you aren't comfortable with it, but that doesn't give your opinion any more weight than anyone else's.

This publication has used this wording because they are willing to accept that female people identify in different ways. I'm sorry you feel very strongly that this is wrong- that must be very frustrating.

There may be a sea change again where society moves away from this but I think you just need to accept that this is where society is at the moment.

Historically, all big societal and cultural shifts would have left sections of society feeling disenfranchised and angry. I'm sorry this has happened to you.

Pregnant women and pregnant transmen is the most you'll get me agreeing to.

Which is fine but I bet the editors keeping a weather- eye to the word count preferred the shorter version 😂

Tough shit about the word count. If they care about the word count it's pregnant women.

Sex is biological fact.

Yes. And every pregnant person is female. A woman is an adult female human.

Women who don't want to be women are still women. It's sad for those women if it makes them feel upset or angry, but it would be better if they could just accept reality rather than trying to force the rest of us to accept their fictional world view.

Oh, do keep your passive aggressive smarm to yourself, we're not on a Zoom meeting with HR. "Society" at large doesn't think we need to pretend some women aren't women. A tiny, very vocal, quite bullying minority do.

And, as always, woman still means female. It is a sexed term, not "gendered", not "open to interpretation".

I'm guessing 3% pregnant women put prefer not to say. But who cares how they identify in this context. A medical journal should know better.

I'd probably put "prefer not to say", depending on how the question was asked. If it wanted my "gender identity" for example.

I think you just need to accept that this is where society is at the moment.

No, thank you.

The day feminists start 'accepting where society is at the moment' is the day we lose everything and roll right back to being vassals of our fathers & husbands.

It will always be a deep mystery to me how women who hate the term so much because they identify as men yet do THE most female thing and get pregnant and give birth.

Pick a lane, dude.

It's so funny - I periodically make the mistake of engaging in these threads and then get soundly put back in my place.

Then I remember for a while not to respond/read them until they call to me again 😂.

I'll leave you all to your echo chamber and get back to my G&T, feeling thoroughly chastised.

They will double down. I expect they already have on other articles. Sigh.

www.newscientist.com/article/2333320-covid-19-vaccines-in-pregnancy-not-linked-to-miscarriage-or-stillbirth/

www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(22)00426-1/fulltext

'Pregnant individuals have been receiving COVID-19 vaccines following pre-authorisation clinical trials in non-pregnant people. This study aimed to determine the frequency and nature of significant health events among pregnant females after COVID-19 vaccination, compared with unvaccinated pregnant controls and vaccinated non-pregnant individuals.'

Looks like I won't be buying New Scientist again

Pregnant individuals
Non-pregnant people
Pregnant females
Non-pregnant individuals

🤷🏼‍♀️

Oh, do keep your passive aggressive smarm to yourself, we're not on a Zoom meeting with HR.

The smarm reminded me of a relative who did some sort of 'how to get on in business' training and did lots of hideously tedious smarm like staring intently (and somewhat creepily) at the person they were speaking to, lots of arm touching and lots of blue-sky thinking/touch base style language.

And this wasn't just at work. They did this during personal conversations as well.

They seem to have dropped it now. Probably got too many incredulous looks and quiet movings away to ignore.