Health Secretary Sajid Javid has said it “doesn’t make any sense” for male patients to be asked if they are pregnant before a scan.
It comes after a report said that patients at some NHS trusts in England, prior to having an X-ray or MRI scan, were being asked if they were expecting a baby regardless of gender identity.
This was to ensure it was safe to proceed, given the harm that radiation can pose to unborn children, according to the newspaper report.
Mr Javid said: “On a personal level I can’t think of why you would ask anyone that’s a biological male if they are pregnant or have been pregnant.
“If there is some kind of clinical reason for an NHS hospital to do that then that’s a decision for them.”
Labour’s shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves, who was asked to comment on the question of whether everyone should be asked if they are pregnant, earlier told Sky News: “I don’t think that most men are asked that question… That sounds a little bit odd to me.”
Politicians have come under scrutiny over their attitudes to gender identity issues over recent days with Labour’s front bench particularly in the spotlight.
Read More : ‘Doesn’t make sense’ to ask men if they are pregnant
