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Woman's Hour: Surrogacy and Single Fatherhood

24/02/2021

Surrogacy and Single Fatherhood

BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour, Surrogacy and Single Fatherhood

Single fatherhood & surrogacy; Reproductive health; Virtual Parliament; Talking periods.

Surrogacy and single parenthood; women and their reproductive health; working remotely from Parliament; and breaking taboos around discussing periods.

It's been announced that around 31,000 women in England will be offered  the opportunity to do a smear test at home.  It's all part of a trial by the NHS and experts hope it'll be a way to encourage more women to screen for the early warnings of cervical cancer. It's another step in helping women take charge of their own reproductive health. There are two consultations open at the moment. One which may see us being able to buy two brands of the contraception ‘Mini’ pills over the counter. The other is looking at whether to make permanent the current temporary arrangement allowing early medical home abortions, using pills sent through the post. Professor Lesley Regan, former chair of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists joins Emma to discuss the impact of these potential changes.

David Watkins is a 42 year old teacher from Southampton and is one of the first single men in the UK to have a surrogate baby after a law change in January 2019.  Previously, only couples were able to apply for a parental order, which transfers parentage from the surrogate to the intended parents after the baby is born.   With the help of surrogacy and egg donation, David became a father to baby Miles in July 2020.  Faye Spreadbury, a married mother of two, took on the role of surrogate.  They join Emma to discuss the experience.

Many of us have learned to work remotely over the last year and Parliament is no exception.  This has allowed MPs to attend to Parliamentary business from their home. The Centenary Action Group is a cross-party coalition of over 100 activists, politicians and organisations that campaigns to lower barriers to women’s political participation. They say these measures should be allowed to continue once the pandemic ends as it would not only benefit MPs but would allow and encourage more women, those with BAME backgrounds and people who have disabilities to enter politics. Their 'Remotely Representative House' report sets out 21 recommendations for the future. The convenor of the group is Helen Pankhurst and Daisy Cooper MP is the deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats. 

CBBC's Newsround has made its first ever film dedicated to menstruation, in the hope of breaking taboos and getting more girls - and boys - to talk about periods. The presenter, Lauren Layfield, talks about why ‘Let’s Talk About Periods’ is needed and what it was like discussing her own menstruation on film. She's joined by Chella Quint, the founder of Period Positive and a tireless campaigner for better menstrual education in schools and for society as a whole. Chella explains why there's still so much shame around menstruation and what needs to happen to break the cycle.

Presenter: Emma Barnett
Producer: Kirsty Starkey

Interviewed Guest: Professor Lesley Regan 
Interviewed Guest: Faye Spreadbury
Interviewed Guest: David Watkins
Interviewed Guest: Dr Helen Pankhurst
Interviewed Guest: Daisy Cooper
Interviewed Guest: Lauren Layfield
Interviewed Guest: Chella Quint

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