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In the UK, two hospitals want to be the first in the UK to include gender-equitable terms in internal communications and in maternity ward meetings.

So no longer should we just talk about “breastfeeding”, which relates to women, but also the term “chestfeeding” for trans men who are having a child.

In addition to “breast milk”, the hospital now also recommends the term “human milk”.

Alternatives are also suggested for naming the parents.

Thus - translated into German - the new term “parent giving birth” should appear alongside the term “mother” and the term “second biological parent” should appear next to “father”.

The hospitals list the new terms in a document on their website.

They want to recognize challenges that gender identity could bring with pregnancy, childbirth and nutrition, as the BBC reports.

The conventional words should not be replaced

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However, the new terms should only be used in communication and documentation in the maternity wards of the clinics in individual cases if this is required by the gender identity of a patient.

Terms such as “breast milk”, “mother” or “father” should therefore not be categorically replaced.

A statement from the hospitals states that the use of additional gender-neutral terms should rather ensure that every patient feels represented and included in the future.

The Department of Childbirth wrote on Twitter: "Our approach has been carefully considered to include trans and non-binary birthing people without excluding women's language or motherhood."

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However, as reported by the BBC, the hospital association received violent backlash after several misleading reports and information on social media.

On Twitter, the clinics' decision was even described as “misogynistic” and there was talk of “exterminating women”.

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The senior nurse Carolyn Morrice told the broadcaster that the background to the decision of the clinic association was that patients had repeatedly asked for a more inclusive language.

The aim of the clinics is that everyone who makes use of their services also receives care that is personally tailored to them.

This includes an inclusive address.

Gender-equitable communication is also being discussed at Australia's leading university, the Australian National University in the capital Canberra.

Employees of the Gender Institute recently updated a guideline, which is aimed at students and teachers and which refers to scientific research in its recommendations.

The university now uses similar terms as the UK maternity unit.

Unlike in the British case, the manual's recommendation is to actually replace the terms, as the Australian news platform news.com.au reports.

Accordingly, it is better to speak of “human milk” instead of “mother's milk” and of the “child-bearing parent” instead of “mother”.

“Fathers” are better described as “non-giving birth parents”, according to the recommendation.

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Although many students identify themselves as “mothers” or “fathers”, there is a need for terms on parenting that include those people who do not identify with a binary gender.

In its recommendations, the handbook refers to a study from 2019 which confirmed that those affected could be isolated and harmed by non-inclusive language.

On the one hand, university students should be prepared for inclusive behavior in later clinical practice.

On the other hand, it is recommended that teachers who come into contact with student parents should first address them using gender-neutral terms, until they have given them a preferred address.

A spokeswoman for the university stressed in a statement that the manual does not reflect the official policy of the university and is not an official regulation for staff and students.

However, some institutes, including the Faculty of Medicine, have already announced that they want to communicate on a gender-specific basis in the future.

They also want to offer their employees training courses.