A leaflet issued to medical staff has got people talking this week, after it claimed common terms like ‘expectant mother ‘were now best avoided.
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The British Medical Association has issued a leaflet to staff, advising them on common terms they should stop using in order to be sensitive and inclusive.
One of the offending terms is the seemingly innocuous ‘expectant mother’ which they say excludes some people in the population who may become pregnant, such as intersex men and transmen.
The correct terminology, states the leaflet, is ‘pregnant people.’
Other terms that were deemed potential problems were ‘Christian name,’ as not everyone is Christian, and masculine sounding ‘manpower’ and ‘mankind.’
The term elderly was also classed as out of date, and it was advised professionals refer to them as ‘older people’ instead.
Many have criticised the advisory leaflet for being overly PC, with some angry Twitter users hitting out online.
“Women are the reason you exist. They aren’t pregnant people. THEY ARE EXPECTANT MOTHERS. Spend your time worrying about you,” wrote #BackToBeautiful.
Another simply wrote: “Oh for heaven’s sake.”
In the introduction to the document, it states that the aim is to promote good practice through the use of language that shows sensitivity and respect for all.
“The choice of appropriate words makes an important contribution towards the celebration of diversity.
“As well as avoiding offence, it is about treating each other with dignity and as equal members of an integrated community.”
One feminist tweeter, Another Angry Woman, highlighted that the term expectant mother may also be upsetting for pregnant people who haven’t decided to keep the baby or not.
“The word mother is loaded and it’s an identity that some people may not want thrust upon them.”
“I totally support dropping the hideously archaic ‘expectant mother.’”
