Victorian government includes men in scientific study on women’s pain
The government of Victoria, Australia has sparked outrage by including men in a $153 million study on women’s pain.
A study open to ‘anyone who identifies as a woman’
The Inquiry into Women’s Pain aims to study chronic pain that afflicts women, such as endometriosis and menopause.
“Chronic pain affects a higher proportion of girls and women than men around the world; however, women are less likely to receive treatment,” Victoria’s Department of Health explained on the study’s webpage. “Research has also shown that women generally experience more recurrent pain, more severe pain, and longer-lasting pain than men."
“Medical gender bias routinely leads to a denial of pain and, therefore, lack of pain relief and associated treatment for women. This occurs for various health conditions, including cardiovascular, neurological, reproductive, and autoimmune conditions.”
In the name of inclusivity, the Department of Health is reportedly seeking submissions not only from “those assigned females at birth,” but also from “anyone who identifies as a woman, though they may have a different sex at birth.”
Outrage
The decision sparked a backlash from women who see it as a bow to the “militant trans lobby.”
“The Victorian government is making a mockery of women's pain by inviting trans-women – biological men – to make submissions on it, as if they feel it too,” said Sky News host Peta Credlin. “Asking biological men who've never had a uterus to comment on female-specific pain is nothing but a capitulation to the militant trans lobby. Once upon a time, this kind of thing would have been regarded as a joke.”
Credlin lamented that “this kind of BS isn't just tolerated but has been enshrined at the heart of government.”
Victorian Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas defended her decision to include men, which she said is “inclusive.” When pressed by reporters about which female-specific ailments affect biological men, Minister Thomas said she was “not going to be distracted by kind of divisive side issues.”
Former Liberal MP Nicolle Flint, who says she has suffered from endometriosis for years, agreed with Credlin that men should have no part in a women’s study.
“It's extraordinary, it's offensive, it's disgraceful, and there is no reason for biological men to be part of this inquiry,” said Flint. “If you don't have a uterus, if you're not a biological woman and you don't have all of the things that can go horribly wrong – as they did for me, as they do for so many women – then there is no need for you to be part of this."
Sall Grover, who founded the women’s social media app Giggle, questioned the purpose of a women’s study that includes men:
“What is the point of having a study about women's pain if men can just identify into the study now?” Grover asked. “Like it's $153 million they're spending on this study, that is going to what, tell us all that some women have testicular issues. There's no point to it.”
