NHS trust criticised after advertising maternity role to help ‘birthing people’

Local MP says South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board’s wording is ‘scandalous, cowardly and disrespectful to women’

An NHS trust called women in labour “birthing people” in a job advert despite the Health Secretary condemning the language. 
Maternity services in South Yorkshire are advertising for a role which is supposed to ensure that women giving birth are listened to and supported.
But the wording of the advertisement has left a local MP furious and comes after Victoria Atkins, the Health Secretary, urged the NHS to stop erasing women from its vocabulary.
A job advertisement by South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board says the role of maternity and neonatal independent senior advocates” will “help ensure the voices of women, birthing people and families are listened to, heard, and acted upon”.
Nick Fletcher, Conservative MP for Don Valley, said calling women “birthing people” was “scandalous and cowardly” saying the language was “disrespectful to women and mothers”.
Two weeks ago, Ms Atkins told trusts to stop using such terms to refer to women and mothers, suggesting that a “Left-wing mindset” is creeping into the NHS.
“That is why we need to be making this robust case to refuse to wipe women out of the conversation,” she told The Telegraph.
“When I see reports of mothers as ‘people who give birth’! No – they are mums. Half the population are women. Of course the NHS should use the word ‘woman’,” she said.
Last year, Steve Barclay, the former health secretary, promised the return of “sex-specific” language to the NHS after references to women were erased from its advice on menopause and diseases such as cervical and ovarian cancer.
But many trusts have resisted the shift, routinely referring to “people who give birth” while some have referred to “birthing parents”.
The pilot scheme in Yorkshire is led by NHS England and will provide a trained listener who can help families navigate the support available.
Maternity and neonatal independent senior advocates are independent of NHS trusts but report to the NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board which is responsible for care in the area.
The description goes on: “Maternity and neonatal independent senior advocates can support women, birthing people, and families by providing advocacy, helping them understand the maternity and neonatal healthcare system, attending follow-up meetings where concerns about maternity or neonatal care are being discussed, and supporting them through investigation and complaints processes.”
People have responded with fury to the use of the phrase “birthing people”, which is supposed to be inclusive to transgender patients, but many say erases women.
Mr Fletcher vented his anger on X, formerly Twitter, and said: 
MOTHER OR BIRTHING PERSON?Do you want to be called a mother or a ‘birthing person’? What are your views? I think it’s scandalous and cowardly to use that language. It’s disrespectful to women and to mothers. Enough is enough. Do you agree with me? https://t.co/kPQi4JZgG1…
Dr Pam Spurr, a psychologist, responded, saying: “Mother! All people who give birth are mothers.
“Please don’t allow the gender cult to destroy language that describes women who give birth!
“And while you’re asking such things, it’s a massive no to ‘chest feeder’ and ‘uterus carrier’!
“This is all part of the big picture of altering the way we view sex and trying to coax people into gender ideology. We’re fighting back.”
The board has been contacted for comment.
It comes after an NHS trust provoked fury after saying that breast milk produced by trans women who were assigned male at birth is as good for babies as that produced by a mother who has given birth.
Before that, the same trust was found to be using the term “chestfeeding” in place of breastfeeding.