Abena Oppong-Asare MP: speeches

Speeches

• 18 Mar 2026 · Menstrual and Gynaecological Health · Hansard source

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  I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to make provision about the teaching of menstrual and gynaecological health in certain educational settings; to provide for training, guidance and resources to support such teaching; to provide that training includes content about awareness of racial discrimination in menstrual and gynaecological health; to require the Secretary of State to take steps to increase public understanding of menstrual and gynaecological health, including measures to counter inaccurate or misleading information online relating to menstrual and gynaecological health; and for connected purposes. In this Bill, I am addressing one aspect of women’s health: menstrual health. Menstrual health is surrounded by misinformation, fear and a failure to support millions of women and girls. For women who menstruate, their experience of asking for advice or even medical treatment is routinely dismal—ask any woman from their school days onwards. It is a nightmare of stigma, shame and a failure of the NHS to help. The recent Women and Equalities Committee report states: “Stigma around menstruation, sex, fertility and childlessness is a barrier to discussion of reproductive ill health. It contributes to delays in diagnosis and treatment, and can lead women and girls to turn to online forums to self-diagnose or to avoid seeking treatment altogether.” That self-diagnosis can be misguided and dangerous, fed by dubious online claims and fake cures. The internet is not a safe place for clear expert advice for girls and women wanting to know about their periods and menstrual health. A poll commissioned by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists found that more than half—53%—of women in the UK who had experienced symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction did not seek help from a healthcare professional. One in five—21%—felt too embarrassed to seek support. In 2018, a YouGov poll found that period shaming happens at home, in the workplace and at school in the UK. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists further noted: “There is an immense societal pressure on women and girls to conceal their periods due to beliefs that menstruation is unhygienic or unclean, and talking openly about periods is often not considered as a social norm.” We live in a modern-day society with an openness to addressing all manner of health issues, including mental health, yet talking about menstrual health remains stigmatised, shrouded in shame, embarrassment and the frankly medieval attitudes held by many. In the call for evidence for the women’s health strategy, 29% of respondents said that they did not feel comfortable talking to healthcare professionals about gynaecological conditions. For teenage girls aged 16 and 17, that figure rose to 40%. Those shocking figures show that this stigma has real-world consequences for women’s health. Women and girls get the wrong advice, dangerous advice or no advice. Their shame means that their conditions and diseases are not diagnosed. Sadly, conditions such as endometriosis, adenomyosis, fibroids, polycystic ovary syndrome, pelvic inflammatory disease, pelvic organ prolapse and ovarian cysts are far too often missed, leaving many women to endure years of unnecessary pain. The time to receive a diagnosis of endometriosis has actually gone up, not down, with women waiting on average nine years and four months. For women of colour and women from other ethnic minority backgrounds, the average wait for diagnosis is 11 years. We might wonder, “Why are women of colour waiting longer?” Well, I am afraid to say that we suffer discrimination in the health system. Our pain is dismissed and our concerns are ignored. Well-documented bias is embedded in the NHS when it comes to black women’s health, leading to poorer outcomes and terrible experiences for so many women. We must address the cultural assumptions in some communities that tell girls that periods are a punishment, dirty, something to be ashamed of or something to be kept as a secret. A dangerous cocktail of misogyny, misinformation and myth is leading to girls and women being misinformed, mistreated and misdiagnosed. My Bill aims to tackle that stigma and get society talking about periods and menstrual health. Let us smash the stigma, starting in schools, with teachers being well-equipped to support their pupils. No schoolgirl should suffer in silence. Let us use the roll-out of more diagnostic hubs and the shift to more community-based preventive care to raise awareness about menstrual health. We need more public awareness campaigns, on the same scale as the NHS sepsis campaign, for not just the public, but medical professionals from the very start of their careers. Every doctor needs proper training in menstrual health to spot endometriosis, fibroids and other gynaecological conditions early; to give proper advice to their patients; to debunk online myths and misinformation; and to be aware of and tackle racial bias in the healthcare system. We need every employer to be aware of menstrual health, to have proper systems of support in place in the workplace, to have period products available for free, and to recognise that if a woman needs time off because of their blinding pain, they are not making it up. I welcome the work of the TUC and the trade unions in this area. We also need to have more difficult conversations. We need more men squirming in their seats as we discuss our periods, our bleeding and our pain, and we need to stop talking in euphemisms—all those silly little terms about periods that disguise the reality and stop an open conversation. We need not only more women’s voices to be heard, but women to be actively leading the design and delivery of the healthcare system. The NHS must no longer be male by default. I speak to so many women and girls who have been let down and whose mental and physical health have been damaged. This must stop. The upcoming women’s health strategy must be more than a document; it must be a manifesto for revolutionary change—what is the point of it otherwise? There must be no more girls crying in changing rooms, no more workers hiding in toilets, and no more shame. Question put and agreed to. Ordered, That Ms Abena Oppong-Asare, Marsha De Cordova, Olly Glover, Paulette Hamilton, Carolyn Harris, Christine Jardine, Tulip Siddiq, Valerie Vaz, Gill Furniss, Kirsteen Sullivan, Simon Hoare and Sir Alec Shelbrooke present the Bill. Ms Abena Oppong-Asare accordingly presented the Bill. Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 17 April, and to be printed (Bill 409).

• 12 Mar 2026 · International Women’s Day · Hansard source

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  It is a privilege to speak in this International Women’s Day debate. We reflect on the women who created International Women’s Day, and the women who have left a mark every day since then—women across the worlds of politics, trade unionism, business, science and the arts, who are making strides forward in the face of ignorance and misogyny, and who are taking a sledgehammer to the glass ceiling, smashing through the barriers and making space for those who have followed. I reflect on the women who have lit the pathway to my place in Parliament. The right hon. Member for Hackney North and Stoke Newington (Ms Abbott), the Mother of the House, is an inspiration to so many of us. I am also thinking of Baroness Harman and Baroness Amos in the other place, and of you, Madam Deputy Speaker, as well as my hon. Friends on the Front Bench, the Minister for Equalities and the Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls—you have such a long title. [Hon. Members: “She!”] She has such a long title. I also reflect on all the women I have met in my years leading the Labour Women’s Network. These are the giants on whose shoulders we stand. They lift us up, and we, in turn, must lift others in Parliament, in our communities and globally. We have heard about the status of women globally. Across the globe, women are denied basic rights—the right to go to school, have a job, and be paid equally—equal legal rights, and basic freedoms. For example, in Afghanistan, 2.2 million girls are banned from secondary school by the Taliban. Only a quarter of women have jobs. It is particularly cruel that Afghan women are barred from entering the medical professions, but the Taliban ban women from being treated by men, so women are denied basic medical care. In Iran, women hold only 64% of the legal rights enjoyed by men. They require permission from their husband to get a passport or travel abroad. Girls as young as 13 can be married if a male judge decrees it. There are no criminal offences of rape within marriage or violence in the home. It is women who are leading the resistance to the ayatollahs in Iran, risking everything for justice and liberation. We should take inspiration from the women standing up for their rights around the world and here at home. I am proud that we have passed the Employment Rights Act 2025, because it is women who will benefit the most, especially low-paid women, women of colour and working-class women. Workers will have a right to guaranteed hours for the first time, which means clarity about how much they will earn, and the stability to plan childcare and family expenditure. That will be life-changing for millions of families. None of these steps forward comes from a clear blue sky. They come from decades of struggle, argument, reversals and defeats, and steps forward and progress. They are the result of suffragettes campaigning for political rights, and the likes of Barbara Castle campaigning for economic rights. Yes, we have seen progress on social, political and economic fronts, but equality is still a distant dream. The Minister mentioned pay. According to the Office for National Statistics, median weekly earnings for female employees working full time were £710 in April 2025, compared with £815 for male full-time employees. Equal pay remains some way off, as does healthcare. The harsh truth is that women continue to get a raw deal in the healthcare system. We do not enjoy true equality in the NHS. We have a system shaped and largely run by men—a system in which women’s health is a secondary concern. There is still a “male by default” culture in healthcare. I have been campaigning for faster treatment for endometriosis and fibroids. One in 10 women suffer from these painful and incurable conditions, yet the average time that women wait for diagnosis has gone up from eight years to nearly 10—to nine years and four months. For women of colour, who face the double whammy of racism and sexism, the time has gone up to 11 years. Women are waiting in pain for years. Their concerns are dismissed and their pains are ignored. I have said it before, and I will say it again: no offence, but if one in 10 men suffered from a painful, incurable disease, there would be faster treatment, research into cures, time off work, and a systematic and sympathetic hearing from society. As it is, women face ignorance, discrimination and stigma when they present with crippling, blinding pain and heavy bleeding. In this debate on International Women’s Day, I pay tribute to Georgie Wileman for creating her brilliant film “This is Endometriosis”. I was delighted to see it win best short film at the BAFTAs this year; it is truly well-deserved recognition. I also commend the work of the Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, my hon. Friend the Member for Luton North (Sarah Owen), and the chair of the all-party parliamentary group on endometriosis, my hon. Friend the Member for Bathgate and Linlithgow (Kirsteen Sullivan). I also thank my hon. Friend the Member for Hampstead and Highgate (Tulip Siddiq), who has been supporting a constituent who was dismissed after working in her organisation for 10 years because of her endometriosis condition. Sanju Pal, you are an inspiration to us all. Thank you for the work you have done with your MP to make sure that this hits us nationally. I have argued that the solutions must include enhanced training for GPs to speed up diagnosis, and improving the education of young people and women on the menstrual cycle. I look forward to the new women’s health strategy, which I hope places women front and centre in the striving for equality for women in the NHS. I welcome the shifts towards greater use of technology, local diagnosis hubs and greater awareness about women’s health conditions, but of course, we have far further to march. I take enormous inspiration from the women and girls I meet in my constituency—fearless, driven and dedicated women who want to live out their potential. I want to take this opportunity to name a few. Chiamaka Muoneke is a dedicated wife, mother and community champion in Thamesmead who supports others through healthy cooking workshops. Jattinder Rai is the CEO of Bexley Voluntary Service Council, and she supports charities, communities and local people in my constituency and beyond. Shantel Morris, who I met in one of my constituency surgeries, shared her experience of homelessness and spoke about her aim to provide support to local people and families facing eviction or living in temporary accommodation. I was delighted to see her organisation hit the ground when I attended last October’s launch of the Morris Mission in Erith, where she now provides training and support for local people. Jo Dunkley at Off The Ropes has done an incredible job of bringing this brilliant charity to life through her passion for boxing, shared by so many. The charity supports local adults facing mental health challenges to build confidence, resilience and lasting connections through sport. I was delighted to cut the ribbon at its new gym in Abbey Wood last November. Since then, it has gone from strength to strength, and I give huge credit to Jo for making that happen. I also pay tribute to the staff at the Community Hospice, of which I am a patron—in particular, Aneta Saunders, who is stepping into the CEO role, having been director of income generation, and Dr Lesley Bull, the medical director, who is helping to steady the team through their leadership transition. Finally, although I have mentioned her in previous speeches on International Women’s Day, I want to mention once again the brilliant Kate Heaps. Kate has been the chief executive of Community Hospice for nearly two decades. She has grown the hospice’s work and fought hard to improve hospice care locally and nationally. I pay tribute to her and wish her the best of luck in her next steps. In this International Women’s Day debate, I want to highlight that I am proud of what this Government have achieved so far towards a fairer, more equal society and economy. I am lifted up by my sisters in Parliament and the amazing women I meet on a day-to-day basis in politics and around this place. Even in the darkest times, amid all the uncertainty, we support each other, we uphold our convictions and our passions, and we uplift each other in representing those in our constituencies and beyond and campaigning on issues that are important to our constituents.

• 5 Mar 2026 · Women’s Health Strategy: Endometriosis and Fibroids · Hansard source

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  It is nice to have a male ally in the Chamber—in fact, a few male allies. I think the issue is even wider than that. The Government are looking to publish the women’s health strategy quite soon. I will talk about this in more detail, but the data on the delays is already out there. We need to recognise the signs and make sure that people get the help they need. I will talk in detail about some of the work I have done, particularly in my constituency, to highlight the issue. It has been often said, though it is worth repeating, that if these conditions were suffered by one in 10 men, there would be research into a cure, fast diagnosis, effective treatment, time off work, and a sympathetic, understanding reaction from all other men. If only women got the same reaction at work, or in the health system. Endometriosis UK found that 39% of its respondents had to visit the GP 10 or more times before endometriosis was suspected, and 46% were sent home from hospital without treatment. That is simply outrageous. To respond to what the hon. Member for Didcot and Wantage (Olly Glover) said, people are visiting GPs repeatedly before the condition is recognised. When I surveyed my constituents, one told me: “I had to go to my GP three times and leave an utterly desperate comment begging for help until they took me seriously.” Another said: “It was a condition I had never even heard of until it started to affect me.” And another said the “pain was so excruciating that it felt worse than birth pain”. That is just so common. That is the experience of millions of women down the decades. Women of colour suffer the double whammy of facing misogyny in the NHS, as well as the racism that tells us that we have a higher pain threshold, or that “black women can handle it.” The recent interim report on maternity services by Baroness Amos last week highlighted the structural racism in the NHS, which leads to worse health outcomes for women of colour. The Endometriosis UK report says that for women of colour, the average wait for diagnosis is now 11 years. That is a grave injustice. This is not just a question of equitable health provision, but a question of social justice for women. It of course makes no sense for the NHS, with stretched resources and overworked staff, to have millions of women who repeatedly present with their symptoms being sent away, returning in pain, and making complaints for years on end. Getting it right first time matters. I welcome the new NHS Online, a virtual hospital in England due to launch in 2027. Menstrual health conditions, including endometriosis, will be one of the priority areas. The NHS Online hospital will use the NHS app to triage patients and provide fast access to specialist clinicians online. Where needed, specialists will be able to arrange local testing for women. I invite the Minister to comment further on how NHS Online will help women with these conditions. The forthcoming women’s health strategy affords us a huge opportunity to move forward. I know the Minister will not be divulging its contents to the House today, and that we have to wait to read the strategy in full, but both the Minister and her ministerial colleague in the other place, who is responsible for women’s health, get it. She knows that a range of conditions affecting so many millions must be front and centre in the strategy. The strategy must address early diagnosis and faster, effective treatment. It must tackle the stigma and taboos. Most of all, it must address the way that doctors are trained, so that endometriosis, fibroids and similar conditions are identified fast. We have made great progress in the early identification of sepsis, for example. We must do the same for endometriosis and fibroids. Will the Minister give us an assurance that training for doctors will form a key part of the strategy? Will she work with the Royal College of GPs and NHS training providers to ensure that these conditions are central to the syllabus, and that every newly qualified doctor has the knowledge to identify endometriosis when a woman presents with the symptoms? Early diagnosis means early treatment, and that saves a huge amount of pain, dismay and taxpayers’ cash down the line. It really is a common-sense approach, given the huge number of women involved. I long for the day when we have a cure. With proper medical research, which the hon. Member for Didcot and Wantage alluded to, I am sure that day will come. In the meantime, does the Minister agree that women should not be waiting for years in unnecessary pain, and that the women’s health strategy can and must offer women in pain a real sense of hope?