Trans-women’s milk as good as breast milk, says NHS trust

[dutchman]

Drug-induced ‘chestfeeding’ liquid ‘comparable’ to that from mothers when it comes to baby nourishment, claim hospitals



An NHS trust has said 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.

In a letter to campaigners, the University of Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust (USHT), said that the milk produced by trans women after taking a combination of drugs is “comparable to that produced following the birth of a baby”.

The hospital trust, which runs Royal Sussex County Hospital, Worthing Hospital and Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital among others, was also the first in Britain to use the term “chestfeeding” in place of breastfeeding because it is considered by some to be more inclusive.

The trust created what it called Britain’s “first clinical and language guidelines supporting trans and non-binary birthing people” in 2021.

Within its guidance were assertions about the ability of trans women to produce milk for a baby.

These were the subject of a complaint last year by the Children of Transitioners. The organisation was founded by a woman whose father transitioned, in an effort to provide advice for children in a similar situation.

Lottie Moore, of the Policy Exchange, which uncovered the letter, said the trust “is unbalanced and naïve in its assertion that the secretions produced by a male on hormones can nourish an infant in the way a mother’s breast milk can”.

USHT has removed the webpage where the guidance was published, but now links to an external website, La Leche League, which states it “supports everyone who wants to breastfeed or chestfeed in reaching their goals”.

Maya Forstater, the director of campaign group Sex Matters, said: “For a chief executive and medical director of an NHS trust to prioritise trans identities over what is best for mothers and their babies is deeply disturbing.”

Milli Hill, a campaigner for women’s rights in childbirth, said: “Male people, however they identify or describe themselves, cannot breastfeed.”

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust said: “We stand by the facts of the letter and the cited evidence supporting them.”

[rebbonk]

Stop the world, it's time I got off.

[dutchman]

‘Chestfeeding’ to be banned in NHS crackdown



The NHS is to crack down on transgender ideology in hospitals, with terms like “chestfeeding” set to be banned.

Victoria Atkins [pictured], the Health Secretary, will this week announce a series of changes to the NHS constitution which sets out patients’ rights.

Referring to “people who have ovaries” rather than “women” will also be prohibited under plans to ensure hospitals use clear language based on biological sex.

The new constitution will ban transgender women from being treated on single-sex female hospital wards to ensure women and girls receive “privacy and protection” in hospitals.

Patients will also be given the right to request that intimate care is carried out by someone of the same biological sex.

It follows concerns from patients about biological men being allowed in women’s hospital wards. NHS guidance has previously stated that trans patients could be placed in single-sex wards on the basis of the gender with which they identified.

Kemi Badenoch, the women and equalities minister, has backed calls for a public inquiry into the “pervasive influence” of transgender ideology in the NHS.

The new NHS constitution will emphasise the importance of using “sex-specific” language in the health service after references to women were expunged from advice on the menopause and diseases such as cervical and ovarian cancer.

A government source said: “The Government has been clear that biological sex matters, and women and girls are entitled to receive the protection and privacy they need in all healthcare settings.

“Our proposed updates to the NHS constitution will give patients the right to request same-sex intimate care and accommodation to protect their safety, privacy and dignity.”

The document sets out the rights of patients and medical staff. All NHS bodies, as well as private and third-sector providers that supply NHS services, are required by law to take it into account when making decisions. The changes proposed this week will be subject to an eight-week consultation.

The updated constitution will state that placing transgender patients in single-room accommodation does not contravene equality laws as long as it is for an appropriate reason, such as respecting a patient’s wish to be in a single-sex ward.

Maya Forstater, chief executive of the campaign group Sex Matters, said the changes represent a “major step” towards reversing NHS England’s “capitulation to the demands of gender extremists, which has damaged policies and practices, created widespread confusion and harmed patient care”.

She added: “These much-needed changes to the NHS constitution will help secure essential sex-based rights in healthcare across England.

“Clear language, single-sex wards and access to intimate care provided by a health professional of the same sex are crucial to the wellbeing and safety of female patients. They should never have been compromised.”

[dutchman]

I doubt the Tories will be around long enough to change anything?