‘Women’ omitted from Scots’ smear test call

Screening campaign has been criticised for urging ‘anyone with a cervix’ to come forward for checks

A SCOTTISH government cancer screening campaign aimed at boosting smear test rates has been criticised after it urged “anyone with a cervix” – rather than women – to book checks. Critics said a refusal to refer consistently to women in the drive risked costing lives by confusing the public.

The word “women” has been largely expunged from the taxpayer-funded campaign, and has mainly been replaced with “people”, in an apparent attempt to ensure transgender men and non-binary Scots, who have a female anatomy but do not identify as women, are included.

The choice of wording prompted controversy yesterday as the campaign was launched, and comes after the Labour MP Rosie Duffield was accused of transphobia for stating that only women have a cervix.

Many trans rights campaigners claim that people born as women, who now identify as male, are truly men and that it is therefore possible for a man to have a cervix.

There are fears that deploying terms such as “anyone with a cervix” could lead to resentment among women, or leave some puzzled at who the campaign was targeted at, undermining the public health message.

“Plain language is vital in public health campaigns, the aim of which should be to maximise reach amongst the target group,” said Lisa Mackenzie, of Murray blackburn mackenzie, an Edinburgh-based policy analysis group.

“Cervical cancer screening rates have been falling in Scotland. The Scottish Government should consider the potential impact of its decision not to refer consistently to women in publicity materials, particularly given that evidence shows that almost half of women do not know what a cervix is.”

A 30-second TV advert features a female lead character but does not refer to women once, instead stating that “two people die from cervical cancer every day”.

A Scottish government announcement setting out details of the campaign appeared under a headline “people urged to attend smear test” and adds: “Cervical screening is offered to anyone with a cervix aged between 25 and 64.”

The word women appears only once, in a passage about low uptake rates.

Research published in 2017 found that 43 per cent of women were unable to correctly identify the cervix as the neck of the womb.

The row comes as Nicola Sturgeon’s government pushes ahead with plans to reform gender laws in Scotland. The changes would make it easier for people to legally change gender, allowing this to be done through self-declaration and removing the need for a medical diagnosis, and lower the age at which a gender recognition certificate can be obtained to 16.

A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: “We are confident that the variety of work taking place as part of this campaign to encourage women to attend for screening will reach those eligible and ultimately save more lives.”