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

A female who identifies as non binary of which there are thousands. Certainly more than males who identify that way. Apparently we have one in the antenatal ward for IOL right now... they/them pronouns but I dont know if they will be "chestfeeding".

But 'non binary' means you don't believe yourself to be either male or female.....or is there another definition?

The problem is not that people aren't using the word 'woman' but that they are using it in a sense that applies only to gender.

It is essential that we can use 'woman' as a gender neutral word that refers only to sex, because any other definition is at best sexist and at worst fails to communicate essential medical information.

'Women' already includes trans men and non binary females, but when you say 'women and pregnant people' you imply that anyone who uses the word is making a judgement about femininity and masculinity.

I don't understand why it isn't obvious that this is regressive and harmful.

Again your weird fixation on men has let you down and made you seem strange. I am talking about females who can conceive and use maternity services but may identify as trans or non-binary. They exist and all guidance you see is aimed at them. Women/females who dont think they are women or female.

The people getting riled up by fake news of men breastfeeding babies in NHS hospitals is you and the other members like you. It isn’t happening and no NHS maternity practitioners are being trained to serve this population within maternity or infant feeding programmes. We are being taught to provide holistic care to pregnant people who identify as trans or NB. As you know, these are uterus bearing women.

I dont know how much clearer I can make it without drawing you a bloody picture.

You need breast tissue and mammary glands to breastfeed.

"The chest is the known medically as the thorax and It is"a protective structure for vital organs, including the heart and lungs, supported by the rib cage, sternum (breastbone), and spine".

You do know that they won't be chestfeeding because it isn't possible.

Are similar euphemisms for women dealing with breast cancer? Do they skate around words like 'duct'? What word are men with breast cancer supposed to use?

Jesus Christ. Do you understand what a trans man is? Do you understand that some women born as women don't identify as women but still have babies? Do you get that, yes or no?

But they are female. Medical professionals should not be feeding this delusion. It has far wider repercussions than just being kind to someone with mental fragility.

Would you also be supportive of a woman not wanting to be called the mother of a child, and the child being told that this is not their mother?

No reason they can't chestfeed. People can call it what they want. Isn't my business to tell someone no YOU are not chestfeeding, YOU are breastfeeding. That would be enforcing my views onto others when as a midwife, I'm just happy the baby is fed and with the ideal milk.

I don't care how you speak to an individual patient, who may have any number of mental health problems or religious beliefs that dictate specialised care.

I do care when inaccurate language is used generally by the NHS. At best it's sexist and at worst it deliberately obstructs communication.

Medical professionals should be using accurate biological language. It is absolute nonsense to refer to "feeding from the chest ".

If you really are a midwife I do think you are being professionally, and morally, negligent.

I see babies for a maximum of 6 weeks in my role as a midwife, so the part about what the child is told isn't my professional business. I might have personal opinions on it, but that's not for me to carry out at work. I also have personal opinions about having your first baby over 40 and people with poor mental health, but they are also irrelevant at work. I just provide holistic care.

As Ive said though, we've never had a transman as a patient. Today is the first time I've even known of someone being NB and using maternity services. But the general rules about not bringing your personal opinions to work still exists.

I am talking about what you know.

You know that the organ used to feed babies is the breast.

Or are you suggesting that medical staff should just use any old word, regardless of what it means?

Are you not allowed to say 'breast milk', either. Is that why you are having to use the term the 'ideal milk'? Why don't you call it chest milk? Would that be far too stupid, even for you?

Actually im following the code of conduct set by the NMC and others. Going and telling this woman that she most certainly WILL NOT be chestfeeding and that I will be calling her she would be professionally irresponsible as it lacks several key elements of compassionate and considerate care.

The thing is, nobody is non binary. It is meaningless. We are all either male, or female no matter how we 'identify'.

Of course you can say breast milk. I do every shift. If someone ever wanted to solely use chestfeeding then I'd just call it "milk" which I do anyway. I dont always say Breast milk when it is obvious we mean milk from boobs

And their ability to breast-feed will be entirely dependent on whether they have breasts.

They still can't breastfeed with their chest.

And that"s your opinion. Its mine too. Our opinions are not relevant in a professional role and youd be a shit midwife if you brought them in. Most of you would hate it if we did because youd know what midwives think you personally have no business having children

“It is unclear whether it refers to anyone capable of pregnancy, or only those who were assigned female at birth.”

If this is unclear to you then the taxpayer would get better value for money paying for you to re-sit GCSE science than paying your salary.

Not that kind of non-binary. The other kind.

How many kinds of non-binary are there?

Just two.

Fuck me, we are living in fucking clown world.

What us it that you don't understand? I'm not interested in entertaining such delusions. i don't accept the precepts of 'gender identity'. These delusions when entertained have consequences on many levels - and clearly one of them is making a mockery of medical professionals.

Well that’s as clear as mud isn’t it.

No, it is a fact. We are all either male or female. It is one of the most central and fundamental organisional and structural vectors/principles of life on earth.