Talking about 'pregnant women' discriminates against trans men - MP

A male Labour MP believes the NHS should abandon 'gendered vocabulary' when treating pregnant women.    

Alex Sobel, Leeds Central and Headingley MP, urged doctors to use gender-neutral language when speaking to expectant parents so it includes transgender men.

He claimed that failing to ask a transgender man if they could be pregnant before treatment could result in 'serious consequences', while speaking in a debate on International Men's Day.

As not all transgender men undergo gender reassignment surgery it means that in some cases they could still become pregnant.

Mr Sobel, 49, also said that transgender men 'face a number of barriers in accessing equal quality healthcare on the NHS', the Telegraph reports. 

This includes long waiting lists for breast removal surgery, the MP said, meaning individuals are forced to pay for private care which 'not everyone can do, as we know'.

Speaking to the commons, Mr Sobel said: 'Across the NHS there needs to be a greater awareness of trans men and trans masculine people who have given birth.

'For example [if] a trans man is not asked whether he could [be] pregnant before receiving a dose of radiation, there could be serious consequences.

'We can begin by removing gendered vocabulary from pregnancy care and parenthood.'

He went on to reference the case of journalist Freddy McConnell, a transgender man who gave birth to a boy but 'could not appear on his child's birth certificate as father or even parent'. 

Mr Sorbel said that the law in this area is 'all over the place' and that 'there needs to be more input from trans people themselves'.

When Mr McConnell's Jack was born he wanted to be registered as 'father or parent' but a registrar told him that the law, Children Act 1989, requires people who give birth to be registered as mothers. 

An appeal to be named 'father' on Mr McConnell's child's birth certificate was rejected by Supreme Court Justices in November 2020, because it was seen as not an 'arguable point of law'. 

The journalist who had already lost two rounds of a legal battle, said being forced to be recorded as 'mother' breached his human right to respect for private and family life. 

Mr Sobel was first elected in 2017 and served as the shadow minister for nature recovery and the domestic environment from 2021 to 2023.

A fellow Labour MP and former minister, Dawn Butler said: 'Trans men are often missed out of the trans debate but also are subject to some real cruel behaviour and often suffer violence against them, such as rape, and it's under-reported.'

Dame Nia Griffith, the equalities minister, said: 'The Government is absolutely committed to ensuring that trans people can receive the care and the support that they need when accessing NHS services, and that we as a Government do frequently engage with a wide range of stakeholders in this area, including the LGBT+ health adviser, Dr Michael Brady.'