In light of the vocal protests against Algerian boxer Imane Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting, where the gender debate seems to have divided the population into two camps based on whether it is based on facts or feelings, I note that the wok trend seems to have reached new heights in the UK, where the country's health authorities have now instructed doctors performing X-rays, CT scans and MRIs to ask men if they are pregnant.

The "inclusive pregnancy status guidelines for ionizing radiation" have been developed by the Society of Radiographers (SoR), and according to The Telegraph newspaper, the guidelines were introduced in response to an incident in which a transgender person underwent a CT scan while pregnant. The decision was made on the grounds that radiation from X-rays, CT and MRI scans can be harmful to unborn children. Doctors have therefore been told not to assume a patient's gender identity when performing all such procedures and to ask everyone between the ages of 12 and 55 about pregnancy - including male, transgender, non-binary and intersex patients.

Under the new guidelines, patients will be asked to fill out a form with a list of questions, including their sex at birth and fertility status. According to several radiologists who spoke to the newspaper on condition of anonymity, the questions have already been deemed "invasive" by many patients.

Humiliating guidelines

Several doctors reported that men were particularly angry with the forms and stormed out of appointments because of the implicit suggestion that their gender was not obvious. Another controversial aspect of the guidelines is asking patients which pronouns they would like to be addressed by, with some parents of minor patients angry that their children were being asked their preferred names and pronouns, which confused them. One doctor even revealed that a patient began to doubt his own gender identity after filling out the form.

Some doctors said they found the new guidelines humiliating for patients and have already appealed to the NHS to drop the system and return to common sense.
Dr. Louise Irvine, for example, notes that there is no reason to ask male patients if they can get pregnant, since it is impossible for anyone of the male sex to get pregnant.

Putting ideology before biological fact

Fiona McAnena, Head of Campaigns at the charity Sex Matters, is also critical.

– Putting healthcare staff and male patients through this humiliating farce, with inclusivity pregnancy forms, questions on the likelihood of pregnancy, and enquiries about their pronouns, is both inappropriate and a shocking waste of time.

It was not clear from the report how many British medical institutions have adopted the new guidelines, but a number of hospitals in London and other cities have reportedly begun using the new request forms.

It's a real shocker, and I hope the Swedish bureaucrats don't get it in their heads to introduce something similar in health care, but given that the question of which gender (or none) you identify as is already established in society and appears on job applications these days, I wouldn't be surprised at all.

#wokeinsanity

Jenny Piper