A draft European Parliament report authored by Fianna Fáil MEP Billy Kelleher has prompted criticism from feminist figures, including former Green MEP Nuala Ahern, over language they argue blurs sex-based definitions in healthcare policy.
The report has attracted considerable criticism because its mission is to examine gender inequalities in health, but women say it is being used to push against biological sex differences, and being used as a “Trojan horse for gender ideology’.
Prepared by Kelleher in his role as rapporteur for the Parliament’s Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM), the 12-page document ostensibly seeks to address structural inequalities in healthcare through a gender-based and explicitly intersectional framework.
Feminist critics however, argue the report moves beyond a sex-based approach to women’s health.
The Kelleher report highlights gaps in what it terms “transgender-specific healthcare” and calls for “gender mainstreaming across all relevant policies and the EU budget.”
The document also includes provisions supporting the expansion of sexual and reproductive health and rights, including backing calls to enshrine access to abortion at EU level and funding for crossborder abortion services,
While the report is non-binding and expected to undergo substantial revisions during months of parliamentary negotiations, the text will be used to shape future European Commission policy and funding priorities.
The document endorses terminology used by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), referring in one instance to “pregnant and breastfeeding individuals” in the context of clinical trial guidelines. The inclusion of such rhetoric has drawn attention from some MEPs, with conservative members tabling amendments aimed at reinforcing sex-based definitions within the text.
The draft is now entering the amendment phase, with negotiations between political groups expected in the coming months ahead of a committee vote. However, its framing has already attracted criticism, with Nuala Ahern describing it as a “new Trojan horse for gender ideology” in comments to Gript.
“Kelleher needs to be reminded that there are verifiable genetic and biological differences between men and women that have an impact on their physiological processes and health,” she said, adding that she believes Fianna Fáil’s positioning in Brussels reflects a broader ideological shift linked to its membership of the liberal Renew group.
Similar concerns were raised by campaign group Women’s Space Ireland.
Spokeswoman Jill Nesbitt pointed to Kelleher’s support for a European Parliament motion affirming “full recognition of trans women as women” at a plenary session in February.
“The demands of fetishistic men have nothing to do with women’s health needs,” Nesbitt said, accusing Kelleher of “smuggling in gender identity ideology by stealth” through the report.
In response to queries from Gript, Kelleher’s office declined to comment on the substance of the criticisms, citing the fact that negotiations on amendments are midway. Regardless of potential changes, the report is expected to pass through the FEMM committee, where a centre-left majority typically prevails, before proceeding to a plenary vote later this year.
Kelleher, who is generally viewed as being on the more progressive wing of Fianna Fáil within has previously downplayed concerns about the inclusion of trans-identifying individuals in women’s sport, warning against increasing societal polarisation on the issue.
The draft comes in the context of greater EU emphasis on trans-related affairs, reflected in the European Commission’s LGBTIQ+ Equality Strategy, which seeks to embed gender identity across EU policy and funding programmes.