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

It's the lack of evidence based studies supporting the treatment, set against the impact of turning somebody into a life long patient that is the problem.

Of course that's what should happen. Are you actually mad?

https://gynecolsurg.springeropen.com/articles/10.1007/s10397-016-0981-1

Congenital cervical atresia is a Müllerian ducts anomaly of the female reproductive tract that is challenging to treat; it includes agenesis and dysgenesis of the cervix 1]. The incidence of Müllerian ducts anomalies in the general female population is estimated to be 0.001 to 10 % 2]. Complete vaginal agenesis with an absent uterus and cervix occurs in 1 in 4000 to 1 in 10,000 female births 2]. Cervical atresia was managed with hysterectomy; however, several surgical procedures have been proposed to preserve a healthy sexual life with the possibility of successful fertility outcomes in female patients 3–7]. These procedures include laparoscopic surgeries, skin graft, and use of Foley’s catheter and silicone stents

So its based on your wishes and not what any medical board has concluded afte rigorous debate and discussion about the ethics of offering such procedures. Okay Mary-Annabelle, we'll all listen to you 🙄

Ah well the medical field disagrees.

Hang on a sec - are you genuinely saying that clinicians don't have a duty to inform patients that their sex can't be changed?

I'm shocked that anyone would think this would be OK anyway, but this was one of the problems picked up in the Cass report - that children didn't comprehend that they couldn't change sex.

I don't think it's more ethical to treat an adult who doesn't understand the limits of their treatment.

How can somebody consent to treatment that they don't understand?

Sorry, what? You think it's acceptable for doctors to perform dangerous surgery with an extremely high complication rate, resulting in the permanent loss of fertility and sexual function, on physically healthy patients with a mental health disorder, without making sure they understand that the changes will only be cosmetic and that they cannot actually change sex?

Do you understand the principle of informed consent?

It's only now that people have separated them so my use of sex and gender interchangeably isn't radical in the slightest. But again, my personal views or experiences have no bearing on the clinical care I am obliged to give as a HCP

They think it acceptable as do the people who seek out that much desired surgery, for the very most part.

It doesnt matter what me or you think, Sarah-Louise. The medical board have looked at this and decided yes they want to offer these surgeries, privately and otherwise. It is completely out of our hands and again, has no obligation for me to.fulfil my role as a midwife and not berate and argue with any trans maternity service users I come across.

My cervix was removed along with womb, ovaries and fallopian tubes. I still have a vagina. I was told I no longer needed smear tests due to no cervix. I wonder if I still needed them to test for hpv. Admittedly it was years ago so things might have changed.

Here's a gif of the medical field disagreeing.

No I don't think that is in their guidelines even if you, me or a boy named Boo thinks it should be. I might be wrong and it is in there, but a lot of you here have to separate what you think should be the case from what is the case.

A doctor can't be breaching a guideline that only exists in your mind.

Yes our NHS docs who get paid per operation right! Tin foil hats on!

If they think it is acceptable, they aren't fit to practice.

Your role as a midwife means you're supposed to understand what informed consent means.

I'm appalled that you don't.

This shit comes from America, like so much other shit. Doctors in America get rich from it, then patients in the UK believe they want it and demand that the NHS pays for it.

Medical ethics exist, even if doctors working in this particular field believe they are exempt.

Let us all observe that this is not by any stretch of the imagination an answer to my actual question.

Its a good question. I'm pretty sure vayibal swabs would tell you your HPV status on the absence of a cervix to screen.

Are you not aware of Cass report and investigations into the Tavistock.

This treatment is no longer given to children in the UK.

You are giving the impression that you don't know enough about this topic to comment.

Did you not understand my post? There is a lack of evidence, so no 'the medical field (whoever they are)' don't disagree, they just don't know.

Particularly regarding treatment of children, there is increasing evidence that 'gender affirming' treatment is harmful. Apart form anything else, 'successful' treatment it depends on suppressing puberty permanently because you can't go through opposite sex puberty.

https://jessesingal.substack.com/p/the-disaster-at-mcmaster-part-1

Jesse Singal has done extensive research into the active suppression of research.

This is the full version of an article he wrote for the Economist

https://jessesingal.substack.com/p/childhood-gender-research-is-increasingly

You can keep arguing this on the basis that trans people are given inclusive healthcare but it won't make it true. It just makes you seem like you'll lash out with anything to try and be right but youre not. Your opinions on this arent going to change anything when it comes to patient care of trans people. We aren't going to punish them, sorry.

Children are a different matter.

Most trans people are thankful and happier once they receive this kind of care. Those who regret are a minority. So every bit of evidence pointed towards more and better care for trans people, not excluding them or debating their identity. All the supreme court ruling has done in terms of NHS staff is ensure that we have regular diversity training around trans healthcare.

I'm talking about INFORMED CONSENT.

How can you give informed consent to having your genitals irreparably butchered if you mistakenly believe it will make you change sex?

It's never occurred to me, I just accepted the information that I no longer needed to have smears. Interesting particularly coming from a family where every female in the generation above me died of cervical, ovarian, bowel or vulvar cancer. Both sides of the family.

Who says they believe it will change their sex. It is gender affirming surgery. Look we get that you don't want trans people to jave any surgeries or whatever but you're just not making sense. Doctors have decided as a whole that gender affirming surgery is not only ethical, it is the only right thing to do for people who want it. You need to accept that and move on..your opinions mean nothing to the people who decide these things.