Conservative MP for Grantham and Bourne Gareth Davies supports Supreme Court’s ruling on definition of a woman
As we head into another long weekend for many, whether you go on a countryside walk, raise a glass in a pub beer garden, or even dance around a Maypole on a village green, I wish everyone an enjoyable Early May Bank Holiday weekend, writes Gareth Davies, MP for Grantham and Bourne (Con).
In the last few weeks, many have reached out to me to share their views on the recent Supreme Court ruling that determined that the term ‘woman’ refers specifically to biological sex under the Equality Act 2010. This ruling prevents the definition from including individuals who have obtained a gender recognition certificate.
It is important to emphasise that we are and should remain a tolerant and compassionate country, where individuals should be able to live their lives as they please so long as it doesn’t infringe upon the basic rights of others.
It is because we believe strongly as a country in the rights of an individual that those such as JK Rowling have been campaigning to protect women’s rights. This ruling marks an important step in safeguarding these rights for women and girls across the UK, and I believe that it stands firmly on the right side of history. For too long, women have had to fight to protect single-sex spaces, having no say in being forced to share them with men.
We have seen this far too many times, with reports of women having to allow men into their changing rooms in NHS hospitals, and stories of girls having to compete against boys in sports where boys on average have a natural advantage.
Stories like these can make it feel as though we’re living in a time when women are gradually losing rights that previous generations had fiercely fought for. Women in our area do not need me to tell them that being a woman goes far beyond simply identifying with femininity. Pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding are challenging biological functions unique to women, and no £6 Gender Recognition Certificate can replicate this in men.
The Supreme Court’s ruling is crucial, as the erosion of women is often underestimated or overlooked. At a time where only 64% of mothers that have just given birth feel like they were given adequate support for breastfeeding, the NHS was set to offer drug-induced lactation for men wanting to breastfeed.
It’s easy to see how things might have unfolded here without the Supreme Court’s ruling - over in America we have seen a biological man be awarded the White House’s ‘Women of Courage’ award.
Of course it is ridiculous that we have got to this place, and I know that many people locally will agree that the Prime Minister shouldn’t have to rely on a court to tell him what a woman is.
What is important is that women's rights are strongly safeguarded, with clear boundaries for who can access their spaces. Just a few years ago, it would have been unimaginable that this would need defending. However, as we welcome the Supreme Court's ruling, I hope we can now move past this issue.
