Here is the full text of the Times article about this :
Cancer Research UK has been criticised for dropping the word “woman” from its latest public health campaign against cervical cancer in an effort to be more inclusive of transgender people.
Cervical screening rates have fallen to a 20-year low in England. Every year more than 3,200 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and 890 die.
However, the charity’s latest message for cervical screening awareness week has prompted dismay after it encouraged “everyone aged 25-64 with a cervix” to go for their smear test, with no mention of women at all.
A pinned tweet promoting the campaign said: “Cervical screening (or the smear test) is relevant for everyone aged 25-64 with a cervix. Watch our animation to find out what to expect when you go for screening.”
The charity confirmed to The Times that the words had been chosen deliberately so as not to exclude those who are biologically female but identify as men.
Critics said that they did so at the expense of alienating greater numbers of women who may already be reluctant to have the potentially life-saving test.
Fiona Osgun from Cancer Research UK said: “Cervical cancer develops in anyone who has a cervix. This includes women as well as people with other gender identities such as trans men. But screening might not be relevant for all women such as those who have had a full hysterectomy. We phrased our information on cervical screening awareness week to reflect this.”
Critics accused the charity of putting identity politics before public health. Some asked why no such language appeared to be used when discussing cancers that affect only men. On its website, Cancer Research UK explains that “only men have a prostate gland so only men get prostate cancer”. Paula Sherriff, Labour chairwoman of the all-party parliamentary group on women’s health, said: “I think the word woman should be explicitly stated, particularly as not everyone will be familiar with the word cervix.
“While we need to be conscious that [trans men] may well be eligible too, I think the message is diluted by not using the word ‘woman’ or ‘women’.”
Anne Spiller, a practice nurse at a GP surgery in northwest England, said she was infuriated by the message. “The problem is a lot of women do not even know about their cervix. They may think that they do not have one reading that and not bother!” she said.
“All women understand that every woman between 25 and 65 needs a smear. Put ‘those who possess a cervix’ in the mix and you have lost it.”
Karen Ingala Smith, founder of a charity supporting women subjected to sexual and domestic violence, said the reluctance to address women put lives at risk. “Uptake of cervical screening [smear tests] is at a 20-year low,” she said. “You’ve got to wonder who’s the brains behind the decision to drop the word woman and replace it with ‘everyone with a cervix’. Seriously misguided erasure of women with potentially fatal outcomes.”
Another critic tweeted: “You rely heavily on donations. Please don’t erase the word ‘women’ when talking about cervix examinations. I don’t think you’ve skipped the use of ‘men’ when dealing with prostate cancer.”
Research by Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust showed that five million women are invited to screening each year in the UK yet one in four does not attend. A spokeswoman for the charity said that it too used the phrase “anyone with a cervix” to remind trans men they are also at risk. “But we use ‘women and anyone with a cervix’ in our messaging, so as not to isolate any groups.”
www.thetimes.co.uk/article/smear-test-campaign-drops-the-word-woman-to-avoid-transgender-offence-263mj7f6s?shareToken=11fe655f68bc12c06ae27ebabfa6d198
