NHS England: Ovarian Cancer Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department of Health and Social Care
Baroness Burt of Solihull
Main Page: Baroness Burt of Solihull (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)Department Debates - View all Baroness Burt of Solihull's debates with the Department of Health and Social Care
NHS England: Ovarian Cancer
Baroness Burt of Solihull Excerpts(4 weeks ago)
Lords ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Watch Debate Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Baroness Burt of Solihull (LD)
My Lords, I totally agree that the wording looks a bit odd, to say the least, and that we should give special consideration to the wording for people for whom English is not their first language. However, there are tens of thousands of trans and non-binary people who would be missed out if we did not spell out that trans men can still get ovarian cancer and trans women can get prostate cancer. Does the Minister agree that what we need is clear, incisive language, so that everyone can be aware of the health risks that apply to them?
Lord Markham (Con)
Yes, absolutely. We all come at this from the perspective of making sure that health is front and centre, which is why the primary descriptors should be “man” and “woman”, as I think we all agree. Beyond that, we should clarify that “woman” may mean a “person with ovaries”—but the primary descriptor is “woman”. I hope that we can all agree on that.