Political representatives and women’s groups have been sharply critical of the decision to use the “meaningless” phrase ‘pregnant person’ instead of woman in a Leaving Certificate paper this week – with one Senator describing it as “insulting” to women.
But the State Examinations Commission insisted the “umbrella term” used in the paper – “pregnant person” – was “respectful and inclusive” – and said it made the question “inclusive and accessible” to the cohort sitting the Leaving Cert exam.
The Leaving Certificate Applied Social Education paper told students: “To protect the health of an unborn baby, the pregnant person needs to take good care of their own health.”
Amongst the questions then asked of the Leaving Cert student are: “Besides taking folic acid, describe two positive lifestyle changes a pregnant person should make to protect the unborn child” and “Other than the Health Service Executive (HSE), name one agency that supports people experiencing an unplanned pregnancy.”
At no stage is the word ‘woman’ or ‘women’ used in the Social Education paper. Critics say this is a further attempt to “erase” women.
Aontú Senator, Sarah O’Reilly highlighted the “pregnant person” reference on the Leaving Cert paper after being alerted to it by a concerned teacher who had seen Senator O’Reilly in a viral clip asking Fine Gael MEP Maria Walsh: “Can men get pregnant?”.
Senator O’Reilly said she asked Maria Walsh the direct question in the Seanad last week, after Walsh had abstained on a vote on an amendment in the European parliament that stated “only biological women can get pregnant”.
The teacher who contacted Senator O’Reilly said she wanted to raise the issue of the exam paper because: “Things are starting to go a bit far. The rights and dignity of biological women are being impacted.”
BRINGING CULTURE WARS INTO CLASSROOM
Senator O’Reilly said: “This is bringing culture wars into the classroom of young adults. It’s telling students about to go out in the world to ignore 50% of the population and instead reduce them to “persons”.”
She said the question “is insulting to women who have wombs and give birth and I don’t understand why they are doing this. Can someone answer why? On who’s behalf? With who’s consent? Does the Minister for Education know and approve of this?”
“It normalises this kind of nonsense language that seeks to erase the existence of women,” she added. “I am proud to be a woman and all the language there is around being a woman. They are our words.
“Only women can have babies. Can we not say pregnant women now? Someone came up with this and signed off on it. It’s crazy.”
“Education ministers recently have been very weak and woke on this stuff in education. They’re afraid to upset a certain demographic of people. They’d rather upset thousands of parents who don’t agree with any of this. It’s gender ideology, it’s indoctrination and school and the leaving cert is not the place for it,” the Aontú Senator said.
Councillor Emer Tóibín agreed saying: “The powers that be are eroding trust and confidence at every turn. This now in a state exam! It is terrible to see people who know better, blindly do what they are told. People, stand up!”
While, women’s rights campaigners The Countess said: “A State exam paper now erases women and uses a generic term “pregnant people!”
“Since when did the word woman become so difficult to say or write? Is it regarded as some form of hate speech? Are women now reduced to meaningless terms and insults? These words belong to us – Mother, Grandmother, Woman, Girl, Sister, Aunt. Women will not be erased in language or in law!,” the group said.
They added: “The Government has not learned the lesson from the failed referendum when they tried to erase women from the constitution. The public responded with a resounding NO! So who is driving this ridiculous agenda? It’s not wanted by the public.”
Also referring to the referendum, Jana Lunden of the Natural Women’s Council said “the Irish people overwhelmingly rejected the Government’s attempt to remove the words “woman” and “mother” from Bunreacht na hÉireann, with nearly 75% voting No.”
“Yet now we see the term “pregnant person” appearing in an Irish exam paper. This is another example of how classrooms and academia have been captured by woke ideology and critical social justice activism.”
“Men cannot be pregnant. People are not pregnant. Women are pregnant. Refusing to use the word “woman” is an attempt to erase women and mothers from public life.”
“The Irish people have already rejected this ideology. Our education system should respect biological reality and the democratic will of the people.”
Senator O’Reilly said it would be foolish of the government “to underestimate the depth of feeling ordinary women have on this issue.”
“We do not wish to see words like woman, girl, mother, motherhood, and pregnant women removed from arms of the state, communications or society in general.
“I believe transgender people should have the right to live their lives as they believe they should and not be subjected to discrimination. “But the rights of women should not be side-lined for the sake of a small minority,” she said.
“I was the first councillor in Ireland to stand firm to prevent women being written out of the Work Life Balance Bill, which sought to reduce ‘women’ to ‘persons’ in relation to maternity protection.”
“It is dehumanising and removes out identity. Women have fought too hard for too long to allow our rights be taken away from us for fear of offending others, in the name of inclusion,” she added.
Contacted by the Irish Daily Mail, the State Examinations Commission insisted the “use of the umbrella term ‘pregnant person’ was designed to be respectful and inclusive” – and said it made the question “inclusive and accessible” to the cohort sitting the Leaving Cert exam.