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Woman's Hour: Stella Creasy, Libby Scott and her mum Kym on Autism, Sexual Harassment

Stella Creasy, Libby Scott and her mum Kym on Autism, Sexual Harassment

BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour, Stella Creasy, Libby Scott and her mum Kym on Autism, Sexual Harassment

How do you get locum cover as an MP? Libby Scott and her mum Kym discuss autism. Sexual harassment while quarantining.

The Labour and Cooperative MP Stella Creasy is threatening legal action over her forthcoming maternity leave cover. Backbench MPs are currently allowed to take informal maternity leave, but not all their duties are covered during their absence. For instance they can employ office staff to help with constituency issues Ms Creasy says she’s currently only being offered two thirds of her salary to employ a suitable replacement but she says that won’t cover important tasks like meeting Ministers, media work or doing school visits.   Also a replacement is unable to speak in the House of Commons or attend parliamentary committees. Ms Creasy has said:  "I think every woman should be able to have paid maternity cover, proper cover - it's not just about being paid, it's that somebody else will be doing that job.”

She may just be 13 years old but Libby Scott has just released her third novel ‘Ways to Be Me’ in collaboration with the author Rebecca Westcott. Along with the hugely successful Can You See Me? and Do you Know Me?, the three novels feature the story of Tally who is autistic. The books have been widely praised for their realistic portrayal of autism. Although not autobiographical Tally’s story is partly based on Libby’s own experiences of being autistic herself. This latest one - a prequel to Can You See Me?  - goes back in time to the period just before she gets a diagnosis age 10.  Libby and her mum Kym join Chloe.

A humanitarian ceasefire has just been called but since November last year the fighting between the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and government forces in Ethiopia has left thousands of people dead. More than two million have been displaced and 350,000 pushed towards famine.  There are reports of women who were kidnapped by soldiers and held as sexual slaves.  Chloe discusses the situation with BBC Africa Correspondent in Nairobi - Vivienne Nunis and Rita Kahsay, co-ordinator of the Tigray Youth Network based in the UK.

Fertility clinics in the UK are removing an unsafe number of eggs from women hoping to have IVF, according to a new study.  Looking at data from UK fertility clinics between 2015 and 2018, researchers found that some were retrieving far too many eggs from women, reporting cases of up to 50 eggs being removed in a single procedure. The ideal 'safe yield' is around 12 eggs. Chloe Tilley discusses the implications with Joyce Harper, Professor of Reproductive Science at the Institute of Women's health at UCL, and the author of Your Fertile Years. 

As we know travellers are obliged to quarantine in a hotel at their own cost after returning from countries on the UK's red list, where Covid infection rates are high. They spend 10 nights in their room and are allowed out for daily exercise only when accompanied by a guard. Private security companies have been hired by the government to ensure hotel guests observe quarantine rules. Kathy Godolphin had a disturbing experience saying she experienced sexual harassment at a hotel after returning from working on a conservation and anti-poaching project in Zimbabwe. She joins Chloe Tilley to discuss the aftermath of that ten days.

Presented by Chloe Tilley
Producer: Louise Corley
Editor: Beverley Purcell

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