Petitions/Replace 'hysterectomy' with 'uterectomy' in NHS patient materials
StatusOngoing
Opened1 Jun 2026
Closes
Government response
Parliamentary debateNot eligible
Milestones

Direct NHS England to adopt 'uterectomy' as the primary term in all patient-facing materials, consent forms and clinical guidelines, replacing 'hysterectomy' - a term we believe is rooted in misogyny, not anatomy.

For many people hysterectomy is associated with hysteria - a diagnosis used to pathologise women, removed as an official diagnosis only in 1980. The International Federation of Associations of Anatomists has recommended removing eponyms like this. Research shows one in five people don't know hysterectomy means uterus removal, compromising informed consent for women. In our view, this is medical misogyny in language. Women deserve clarity about what is happening to their bodies and terminology that respects them.

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Constituency engagement ranking

Victoria Collins
1Victoria Collins MP
Harpenden and Berkhamsted
24
Matt Western
2Matt Western MP
Warwick and Leamington
11
Laura Kyrke-Smith
3Laura Kyrke-Smith MP
Aylesbury
10
Leigh Ingham
4Leigh Ingham MP
Stafford
9
Wera Hobhouse
5Wera Hobhouse MP
Bath
8
Rosie Duffield
6Rosie Duffield MP
Canterbury
8
Mims Davies
7Mims Davies MP
East Grinstead and Uckfield
8
Afzal Khan
8Afzal Khan MP
Manchester Rusholme
8
Mr Paul Kohler
9Mr Paul Kohler MP
Wimbledon
8
Peter Kyle
10Peter Kyle MP
Hove and Portslade
7