NHS doctors are now being told to not call pregnant women ‘mothers’ – over worries they might offend transgender people.
160,000 members of the British Medical Association (BMA) have been warned about the new guideline which tells GPs across the UK to refer to mums-to-be as ‘pregnant people’ and not ‘expectant mothers’.
Around 775,000 women give birth in the UK each year but there are no figures to show the number of them that are transgender.
The BMA is now advising doctors to refrain from using the word ‘mother’ in an effort to ‘celebrate diversity’.
“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,” read the 14-page guidebook, A Guide to Effective Communication: Inclusive Language in the Workplace.
"We can include intersex men and trans men who may get pregnant by saying ‘pregnant people’ instead of ‘expectant mothers’."
