In order to be accepted, everyone coming to the UK for an X-ray must fill in a form stating their preferred name, pronouns and whether or not they are expecting children. For men too.

In the United Kingdom, public health services have been ordered to ask men if they are pregnant before X-ray examinations, reports the Norwegian news portal Document, citing information from the British newspaper The Telegraph, which was seen by the V4na.com news agency. The radiographers were told exactly that

as part of the "intake guidelines", all patients between the ages of 12 and 55 must be asked whether they are expecting children, regardless of gender.

The guidelines were issued after a biological woman underwent a CT scan. However, the woman identified herself as a man and found out she was pregnant without him realizing it. Radiation from X-rays, CT scans, and MRI scans, as well as cancer treatments, can be dangerous to unborn babies.

Hospital staff are therefore now being asked to be inclusive and not assume they can be sure of a person's gender. And patients have to fill out a form where they enter their birth gender, preferred name and pronouns, answer detailed questions about the pregnancy, and read stories about people who identify as the gender they were born with.

However, the forms have caused so much anger among some that they are already endangering the safety of employees. Workers reported that men often stormed out of consultations, and some women broke down in tears when they discussed why they did not have children.

“Women who have had terrible miscarriages or ectopic pregnancies are reminded of their trauma. "Instead of just asking if there's a chance I'm pregnant, they should give detailed answers like 'I've had two ectopic pregnancies and had to have my ovaries removed,'" health workers said.

Patients from 'differentiated' cultural backgrounds are offended or embarrassed when it is suggested to them that their gender is ambiguous. In addition, stating the preferred pronoun and name in the declaration is believed by many to indoctrinate children and anger parents.

Opponents of the practice consider such a procedure quite simply humiliating and urge the health sector to "return to common sense".

Cover image: Illustration / Photo: Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke / Pixabay