Piers Morgan and Ash Sarkar debate trans pregnancy online

The broadcaster was reacting to an article in the Mail Online, published on Sunday, April 17, in which an anonymous midwife from University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (UHSussex) expressed their unhappiness at current rules.

Under the trust’s care guide, which was updated in December 2020 to better accommodate transgender and non-binary people during pregnancy, patients may request that preferred alternative terminologies be used by hospital staff when referring to anatomical parts.

Midwives and obstetricians should refer to a patient’s language preference document, which can be completed by a patient if they wish, “to facilitate respectful communication during labour. For example, some people may refer to the ‘front hole’ or ‘genital opening’ rather than ‘vagina’.”

The Royal Sussex County Hospital

A midwife from the trust is reported to have contacted the Mail Online, and said: “It’s a policy that relates to very few people, and they think in some ways it’s ridiculous, but because of the climate at the hospital they dare not say anything.”

Appearing to share these concerns, Piers Morgan has since come out to criticise the trust’s approach, tweeting that “pregnant people are called women”.

It came after Novara Media journalist Ash Sarkar, with whom Piers regularly enters heated debates, highlighted that the guidance “applies for pregnant and non-binary people, and gendered language will still be used for women who aren’t trans”.

Responding to concerns raised in the article, Emma Chambers, director of midwifery at UHSussex, said: “The examples mentioned are included in the guideline as optional, additional language that can be used only if the client requests alternative language.

Piers Morgan and Ash Sarkar took to Twitter to share their views

“This is absolutely not an instruction to use this language with all service users. Our approach has been carefully considered to be inclusive of trans and non-binary communities without excluding the language of women or motherhood.

“Thinking through the language we use in this way is something people who use our services have been asking for, for some time. Our aim will always be to treat everyone who uses our services as an individual, providing care that is personal to them, that meets their needs and using language they are comfortable with.

“We have a long-established culture of encouraging staff to come forward with their opinions and any concerns and this continues to be the case.”

Piers, 57, from Newick, near Lewes, is no stranger to pushing his views on transgender rights. 

After The Argus recently reported that transgender woman goalkeeper Blair Hamilton had been chosen to play for the Engand Universities Sports Women's squad, he shared his outrage via social media, tweeting that it was "ridiculous" and "obviously unfair to biological female footballers".