The Lancet under fire for ‘dehumanising women’

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 26

World’s leading medical journal The Lancet is under fire for using objectionable terminology for woman’s form, drawing sharp reactions from activists, readers and feminists who termed the expression “dehumanising”, “sexist” and “incredibly demeaning”.

At the heart of the row is a front page reference in The Lancet’s latest edition, which says “Historically, the anatomy and physiology of bodies with vaginas have been neglected”.

Demeaning, say activists

• Journal’s Twitter timeline flooded with angry remarks over objectionable terminology for woman’s form in latest edition
• Activists, readers and feminists have termed the said expression as “dehumanising”, “sexist” and “incredibly demeaning”

The reference first appeared in article “Periods on Display”, which was published earlier this month. The article examines taboos around menstrual health. It is now fully reproduced in The Lancet’s September edition and has a pointer on the front page.

A range of readers reacted to the term with writer Susan Dalgety saying, “Are we just supposed to accept this? Are we extremists for objecting to women and girls being dehumanised?” For Women Scotland, a group of women from across Scotland working on girls’ and children’s rights, said, “It is the language of the serial killers”.

The group asked The Lancet if it would speak of men in similar terms. Stephanie de Giorgio, working on women’s health, twitted: “You cannot write that and then talk about menstrual shame in the same sentence.”

A section of reproductive rights activists termed the use of the expression “a new low”, while others said it amounted to “medical misogyny”.