Minggu, 27 Mei 2012

NHS remove word 'Dad' from pregnancy handbook in case it offends same sex couples

NHS remove word 'Dad' from pregnancy handbook in case it offends same sex couples

  • Pregnancy booklet has been revised after a complaint
  • The complaint said it was excluding same-sex couples to use term 'dad'
  • News come in the wake of Stonewall survey saying gay men get discriminated by the NHS

By Sara Malm

PUBLISHED: 10:15 EST, 27 May 2012 | UPDATED: 11:29 EST, 27 May 2012

An NHS guide to childbirth will no longer use the term ‘Dad’ when referring to the non-pregnant partner as it may offend homosexual couples.

The ‘Ready Steady Baby’ pamphlet has been revised after receiving a complaint that it ‘was not inclusive of people in same sex relationships’.

After receiving the complaint an equalities assessment was carried out and it was decided to replace ‘dad’ with ‘partner’.

It is feared that the term 'dad' may offend same sex couples and it has therefore been replaced with 'partner'. Picture is posed by models

The NHS feared that the term 'dad' may offend same sex couples and therefore replaced it with 'partner' (picture is posed by models)

The 220 page guide is funded by tax-payers' money and has been distributed by the NHS to expectant parents for 14 years.

Its purpose is to give advice on dealing with pregnancy and to help parents through the process, as well as their child's first year.

Family campaigners are outraged by the move as they fear it may undermine traditional family set-ups.

Norman Wells, of the Family Education Trust, said: ‘This is all part of an agenda to present as natural a type of family that cannot be created by natural means.

Ready Steady Baby: The 220 page guide has now been reprinted

Ready Steady Baby: The 220 page guide has now been reprinted

‘The NHS should not be squandering tax payers' money to advance the cause of a minority interest group.

‘No matter how much effort is made to present positive images of families headed by same-sex couples, the fact remains it takes a man and a woman to create a child.’

The news comes in the aftermath of a major survey by equalities charity Stonewall which concluded that gay and bi-sexual men feel neglected and sometimes even discriminated against by the health organisation.

Almost 6,900 gay and bi-sexual men who had used NHS’s services within the last year were asked about their experiences by the gay rights organisation.

Ben S ummerskill, chief executive of Stonewall said to MailOnline: 'Gay couples have no problem with using the term 'dad' -  in fact many of them are just that and wish to be called it.

'Most importantly is bringing up children in loving, stable homes not what term you use.'

A spokesman for NHS Scotland, which is behind the booklet, said: 'It is standard practice to review publications on a yearly basis, if not more often.

'At the time this complaint was received the Ready Steady Baby text had just been through its annual review, changes made and the new edition was printed in December 2011.

'The review process identified the need to use language that was more inclusive, particularly in relation to same sex partnerships.'

More than 700,000 copies of Ready Steady Baby have been handed out since 1998, with 90,000 copies being printed last December at a cost of £100,000.

NHS Scotland has upset taxpayer organisation TaxpayerScotland with the reprinting of the pamphlet

NHS Scotland has upset taxpayer organisation TaxpayerScotland with the reprinting of the pamphlet

Robert Oxley, TaxpayerScotland’s Campaign manager said: ‘It's barmy that the NHS is wasting money reprinting guides because of a single complaint.

‘Becoming a dad isn't synonymous with one type of couple so it seems ridiculous to worry about changing it. The NHS has bigger priorities than prescribing how to define who wants to be called dad.’

The booklet is not the first victim of the public sector's equality policies.

Each year six million pounds of tax money is put towards employees who ensure that staff, policies and information stays politically correct .

The NHS alone has 42 such staff members, whose work include ensuring ‘diversity and equality’.

Councils, police forces and the Scottish Government all have staff holding similar roles.

Last month it was revealed that paramedics and nurses are being sent on courses to teach them how to ask questions in a politically correct manner.

The classes are designed to allow them to ask for personal information without upsetting minority groups, such as gypsies and homosexuals.

Here's what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.

The comments below have not been moderated.

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This world is going mad!

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As a dad, I am offended. Seriously, I AM offended. In any case despite any politically correct euphemisms you wish to place on these matters EVERY child DOES have a biological mum and dad. It may not always be so, unfortunately, but long may it continue.

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These things no longer surprise me in this fruitbasket of a Country!

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When are normal straight parents going to have their human rights protected, this nonsense is spreading like a virus and enough is enough!

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Hmmmmmm I'm now offended by the fact that the term Dad or Father is being removed and I guess I'm one of the majority. But even though I'm in the majority I don't feel that it will count for anything. My wife and I have 3 kids, but we didn't have them till we were both older. I'm now 50 and my youngest is 3 while my oldest is 10, if I were referred to as Partner I would be outraged I'm dad or daddy simple as that. Not spem donor 1 or partner. I think the money used to enact this change would be better off cleaning hospitals or going to sort out the numerous problems the NHS has.

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Will someone please tell the PC brigade to naff off!! The only natural way, without interference, to make a baby, is between a man and a woman. If you want a baby by any other means then produce your own literature!!

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Mad, utterly mad. You haven't beaten us yet Harriet Harman, but you are in the lead for now. Please give us a sane Government that will rid us of these PC loonies.

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Perhaps 'mums' and 'dads' should stop making babies altogether, then the entire human race would become extinct in a very short time if left to these same sex couples who are always complaining. They might be able to change laws to accommodate these people, but not nature.

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More proof that the politically correct brigade have taken over the state.Don't put up with this nonsense,tell the overpaid managers who sanctioned this nonsense to stick it where the sun don't shine.

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what would happen if all the "dads" complained they were offended because they were being positively discriminated against?!

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