The HSE has reinstated the use of the word ‘women’ in describing who should go for cervical screening, after controversially replacing it a year ago.

The advice originally mentioned women alone, but this was quietly replaced by “anyone with a cervix” in December 2019 in order to be more inclusive to trans people.

The new wording states: “Women and people with a cervix between the age of 25 and 65 should go for regular cervical screening when it’s due.”

The National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI) said the HSE had made a “mistake” by removing the word ‘women’, and said that “fully inclusive” language should be used in future.

NWCI director Orla O’Connor said the “current language has not achieved this”.

“NWCI and Teni [Transgender Equality Network Ireland] have recommended an immediate amendment to their electronic resources such that sentences that refer to ‘people who have a cervix’ instead read ‘women, transgender men, intersex, and non-binary people with a cervix’,” O’Connor said.