The NHS has come under fire for publishing a new menopause policy that claims: “Not everyone who experiences menopause is a woman.” The Mail has the story.
Women’s right groups today warned the “outrageous” document will sew confusion and accused NHS England of promoting an “activist agenda”.
The national policy, which will apply to all NHS employees in England, is intended to create a “kind and caring culture” for women affected by the menopause.
It details what help is available to them in the workplace, tells staff how to support their colleagues and outlines the responsibilities of managers.
But campaigners have criticised the use of woke “non-sex language” such as “people affected by the menopause”, rather than “women”.
The 17-page booklet says: “It is important to note that not everyone who experiences menopause is a woman.
“Transgender, non-binary, and intersex colleagues may also experience menopause and will have specific needs.”
It comes after successive Health Secretaries have told the NHS to stop erasing women from its publications and to use sex-based language on its health advice pages, including those on women-specific cancers.
A source close to Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said: “The Secretary of State has been crystal clear that biological sex matters and that it’s important that language – including language used by the NHS – recognises the different biological needs of men and women.
“That is really not an unreasonable expectation.”
NHS England published the ‘National Menopause People Policy Framework’ on its website this morning but later removed it, claiming it had been issued when error, when contacted by the Mail.
A spokesperson said the document was a draft and the final version would not be published until next month, despite being labelled “March 2024” and having a “publication approval reference” number on it.
He was unable to say if the “final version” would contain the same claims.
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