‘Bonkers’: Men asked to fill out ‘inclusive pregnancy’ questionnaire in some UK hospitals

It could only be a matter of time before Aussie men are required to fill in ‘inclusive pregnancy status’ questionnaires, as is the case in the UK, writes Julie Cross.

Opinion: Just when you thought the world could not get any more bonkers, radiographers in some hospitals in the UK are asking men to fill out an Inclusive Pregnancy Status questionnaire before conducting scans.

Guidelines from the Society of Radiographers advise practitioners to “ask all patients aged 12 to 55, regardless of gender, if they are pregnant”.

So, some hospitals have introduced the Inclusive Pregnancy Status questionnaire which asks for people’s preferred pronouns and then asks whether they were born male or female. Those who tick the female box are then asked whether they’re pregnant.

But, there have been some unintended consequences, according to the Telegraph UK.

One man was so offended by the questionnaire that he stormed out of the hospital without having an urgent scan for cancer.

Another, who was undergoing regular scans, was left with self-doubt after being asked to fill out the questionnaire every time he attended.

Others were embarrassed.

Person undergoing a CAT scan in hospital. PET scan equipment. Medical CT scan of patient. Picture: iStock

I should imagine many would have also laughed out loud. In my straw poll in the office that was what my male colleagues said they would do if asked to fill out that questionnaire.

The Society of Radiographers have hit back at commentators in the UK saying, “We now live in an age where we know that we cannot assume someone’s biological ability to become pregnant based on the gender they present as”.

I agree. Being able to identify whether someone was born male or female is probably more difficult in 2024, than say, in 1984.

So, I understand why guidelines need to be put in place.

Radiographers also have an ethical duty to keep unborn babies safe from the harmful effects of ionising radiation, used in X-rays, CT and PET scans.

But I suggest in their bid to be all inclusive, they have inadvertently been offensive.

Perhaps instead of railing against the transphobic media, how about ditching the offensive questionnaire and just asking whether someone was born male or born female? Or is that too controversial these days?

I looked up the guidelines for radiographers in Australia and the advice here is to “question a female patient of child-bearing age regarding the possibility of her being pregnant.”

Phew. Then I saw the document was currently under review. I guess it’s only a matter of time.