Doctors have been told to refer to expectant mothers as “pregnant people” so as not to offend transgender people, in official guidelines issued by the British Medical Association (BMA).
The controversial advice appears in a 14-page booklet on “inclusive language in the workplace” which also rules that the terms ‘biologically male’ and ‘biologically female’ are problematic, and instructs doctors to instead say that the individual was ‘assigned’ male or female at birth.
The union’s new guidelines come just weeks after it emerged that a British woman in the process of ‘transitioning’ gender put her operation on hold to have a baby, the Mail on Sunday reports.
775,000 women give birth in Britain each year, yet there are no other known cases of people in the process of ‘transition’ becoming pregnant.
Despite this, the BMA demands the word ‘mothers’ be dropped from doctors’ vocabularies in relation to pregnancy because it’s offensive to transgender people, and in order to “celebrate diversity”.
The booklet states: “A large majority of people that have been pregnant or have given birth identify as women. However, there are some intersex men and trans men who may get pregnant.
“We can include intersex men and trans men who may get pregnant by saying “pregnant people” instead of “expectant mothers.”
Heather Ashton, of the transgender support group TG Pals welcomed the new guidance, stating that the change in terminology “can only be a positive thing”.
It’s not only politically correct terminology relating to transgender issues that is covered in the guidelines issued by the doctors’ professional association and trade union.
Members are advised against using ‘male-centric language’, an example of which is the instruction to use the term ‘family name’ instead of ‘surname’, the booklet noting that some linguists believe the latter word “may originate from sire-name, the name derived from one’s father”.
‘Christian name’ is another term the BMA say should be banished from doctors’ vocabularies, the guidelines stating that “to ask a Jewish or Muslim person their Christian name not only makes no sense, but is also highly disrespectful of their beliefs.”
In a section of the booklet relating to race, doctors are warned that “difficulties can arise with expressions that use ‘black’ in a negative way, eg ‘black sheep’, or ‘black mark’.”
In an introduction to the booklet, BMA executive Dr Anthea Mowat said the new guidelines serve to “support and protect our colleagues and our patients”.
However the advice is patronising and overreaching according to Jon Stanley, health research fellow at the Bow Group, who also criticised the BMA’s politically correct attempts to deny biological reality with language.
He told Breitbart London: “The union is determined to double down on their losses from last year by doing anything and everything except competently represent doctors. Any doctor worth their salt will be sensitive and professional anyway.
“The idea the union speaks for the profession or guides it is risible and deeply offensive to many who feel they have lost too much autonomy already.
“Whilst showing respect to all, any doctor treating someone who is transgender must assess them on their biology as many disease patterns are gender influenced,” he said on Sunday.