Bristol Council insists women be called ‘people with ovaries’

[IwantToRetire]

The comments were made in a 39-page response to a consultation by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) on updates to its guidance, following the ruling that sex in equality laws refers to biological sex.

It wrote that “not all pregnant individuals would use the pronouns ‘she/her’” so it could lead to “emotional and psychological distress” for “trans men, non-binary, gender diverse or intersex individuals”.

“We strongly advise the use of more inclusive language such as using ‘they/them’ to refer to all individuals, or include other identities to reflect the diversity of individuals who access maternity or paternity services,” officials said.

“This could include ‘people with ovaries’ or the term ‘people who use paternity services’. We also recognise that individuals may not identify with the word maternity and prefer paternity as it is gender neutral.

“Additionally, it is unclear what support will be available to trans people who chest-feed to ensure they are protected from discrimination.”
Protections based on biological sex are “too vague”, the response added, as: “It is unclear whether it refers to anyone capable of pregnancy, or only those who were assigned female at birth.”

Council officials complained that the new guidance implies that “trans women are not ‘really’ women” and risked “creating a hostile environment in public services”.

Full article at https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/09/22/council-says-women-called-people-with-ovaries/

And at https://archive.is/TOgKA

You have talked about " holistic care" and yet have also admitted that after six months what a woman does or does not do with her baby is none of your business. Yet the encouragement of a belief that she is not a woman could well lead to her refusing to admit she is a mother, or that the child has a right to know who their 'mother' is and name her as such.

This whole business has far wider ramifications than you are prepared to admit, or accept.

’maturity leave’ … some people probably could do with that.

I worry about the children who are indoctrinated to believe they have two mothers when one of those mothers is clearly a man. That’s got to be damaging.

Certainly deeply confusing and alienating.

That's on them and it isnt for me to ask when providing maternity care. Can you not understand how these questions would be tootslly irrelevant and inappropriate for a midwife to ask someone who has presented for maternity care?

Why wouldn't the child know who gave birth to them? Can you explain why being a trans man would mean that you wouldn't tell your child that you gave birth to them?

And it is 6 weeks, not 6 months. A midwive's professional remit ends at 6 weeks. I am not there to see what a parent tells their child about their birth.

It’s gaslighting, pure and simple. Psychological and emotional abuse.

So you mean when a woman has a trans woman partner and then they have kids? That's the only way someone can have two mums, one of which is "clearly" a man.

How many kids are we talking about here? I'd hazard a guess there are far more trans men and non binary women who are parents (birth parent and otherwise) than trans women who are co-parenting in relationships with women.

A lot of people find it dehumanising to stop being referred to by their given name, and to just become known as the mother of their child(ren). So we are encouraged to actually learn the names of the women we look after and not just call them "mum". They aren't just mums, they are autonomous humans.

That's how you look at those words. That's not what they mean to everyone. You are seeing the terms as comparisons to each other, others may see them as standalone terms and not feel like using one creates a dichotomy where the other must be directly comparable or opposite.

How you see the world isn't how everyone sees the world.

Yes because it is also about their pregnancy. Not yours.

I personally know of three couples where this has happened and is happening.

It is, in my opinion, lying to those children about a biological reality.

Someone’s inclination does not ever trump consent.

id have thought you knew that?

Why would I need to agree that they are women to provide safe care?

That makes no sense..I just need to see them as a pregnant person with a uterus and cervix and vagina. I don't need to see them as women to deliver their baby, or check their pregnancy is progressing normally.

These kinds of silly.asssrtions is where you lose people who fundamentally agree with you. As a midwife who believes you can't change sex, it just isn't true that a midwife who believes you can change sex will provide unsafe care.

In all honesty, it makes me.doubt your intelligence when you make statements like that. You don't know what you're talking about and it makes everyone who agrees with you look equally dense.

What consent are you talking about? If consent was your priority than youd want me to seek consent to addrss people as they want to be addressed. You seem to want trans men to seek your consent to have holistic care which shows you as a bit unstable if you believe that. Who needs consent for what? Say it plainly.

You must live somewhere with loads of queer couples because I live in London, work as a midwife, and I've never ever seen a pregnant trans man nor a trans partner of pregnant woman. I haven't seen it socially or professionally. How do you know these couples?

No it ended up with women not having to be routinely cut open at births, delayed cord clamping, choice over birth mode and elective caesareans for those who want them. .
You're welcome.

Someone's internal view of themselves and their identity speaks nothing of you. It seems like you feel that you are centred in everything. Nobody can be them, without it saying something about you. It is strange.

Which begs the question of why we have to go through all the distortion of language for so few.

Because they might use maternity services. I also have had extensive training on how to care for someone who has a cognitive or developmental impairment. I've only ever cared for one woman with an autism diagnosis though, and she was totally independent and without a learning disability of any kind.

So we are trained for these possibilities because they do occur, but their frequency means that you really aren't doing anything differently with the majority of service users.

So because you’re not considering the concept of consent properly you categorise me as unstable.

No I don’t.

one of the couples is in Ireland, one in London and one in Wolverhampton.

They are friends of my family of long standing. I am godmother to one of the individuals. In another case I met the person’s parents when me and my ex husband moved to England over 30 years ago and the other is a couple I met through a friend.

Who needs consent for what? Why would a midwife need your consent to provide individualised care to someone who is not you? Do you have an answer or is this jusg the ramblings of someone with no point and a weird rage towards trans people?

OK. Why dont you tell them how disgusting you think it is? After all, this is not a professional context and you know them well. Why not say all the things you suggested I say to someone pregnant and perhaps in labour?

I don’t have a rage towards trans people. Where are you seeing rage?