The Lancet medical journal has come under attack after it referred to women as “bodies with vaginas.” Although the leading medical journal wanted to be inclusive of people in the transgender community, critics were appalled that it published the “sexist” and “dehumanizing” phrase on the front page of the September 2021 edition of the journal. The controversial term was used by the journal’s editors to be inclusive of the trans community but outraged some readers of the article, “Periods on Display.”
The article was an examination of women’s periods and how they are taboo by studying the Vagina Museum in London. The Lancet published the article on September 1, 2021, and immediately drew criticism from people who felt that the editors were canceling women by referring to them as “bodies with vaginas.”
The quote that has sparked the most outrage was published on The Lancet’s first page of the 398th volume and stated, “Historically, the anatomy and physiology of bodies with vaginas have been neglected.”
Some academics have criticized the Lancet for posting the quote on the front page of the most recent edition of the journal. These critics have loudly complained that it was “insulting and abusive,” while others called it a “misguided pursuit of woke points.”
Critics have gone so far as to accuse the Lancet of “reinforcing patriarchal ideals” and promoting a misogynistic view with their “woke” phrase for women.
Dr. Madeleine Ní Dhálaigh, a general practitioner, turned to Twitter to share her outrage, writing: “Naming women as ‘bodies with vaginas’ is a new low, all in the misguided pursuit of woke points. You can be inclusive without being insulting and abusive. How dare you dehumanize us with a statement like this?”
Although some people were offended by The Lancet, others applauded its willingness to include transgender women in their journal while still being inclusive of menopausal women who have vaginas but no longer menstruate.
The Lancet has defended its decision to publish the quote, saying that it was done so in order to be more inclusive of all genders.
“Historically, the anatomy and physiology of bodies with vaginas have been neglected,” said Dr. Alexandra Gottlieb, an editor at The Lancet for over 40 years. “We wanted to make sure that everyone was included in our article.”
Dr. Gottlieb has also stated that she is “deeply offended” by people who are accusing them of sexism, saying that they wanted to include all genders and people with vaginas.
“I am deeply offended by those who claim that we were promoting ‘sexism,’” Dr. Gottlieb said in an article published on The Lancet’s website. “The whole point was to do exactly the opposite.”
However, feminist Claire Heuchan disagrees. She wrote: “This framing makes it sound like a coincidence that ‘bodies with vaginas’ have been neglected by medicine as if it were not the product of discrimination and oppression specific to the female sex. Medical misogyny… exists – and refusing to acknowledge women perpetuates it. Until [the Lancet starts] writing about ‘bodies with penises,’ dehumanizing and neglecting research specific to men, I’m going to call this erasure out for what it is: sexism.”
What do you think about this medical journal’s decision to refer to women as “bodies with vaginas”?