Member's statement: Endometriosis Awareness Month
Member's statement by Ms Sinéad McLaughlin on .
- MLA
- Ms Sinéad McLaughlin
- Party at the time
- Social Democratic and Labour Party
- Date
- 3 March 2025
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Endometriosis Awareness Month
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4825673
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I welcome Verona Murphy to the Assembly. Today marks the beginning of Endometriosis Awareness Month, which highlights an issue that is really close to my heart. One in 10 women will be impacted by endometriosis, which roughly translates to 1·5 million women in the UK. It could impact on anywhere up to 50,000 women in Northern Ireland, yet many are unaware of the condition and the profound impact that it has on the lives of those who are affected. Nine and a half years: that is the average time that it takes for a woman to be diagnosed with endometriosis. There is only one specialist endometriosis clinic in Northern Ireland, which is held once a month. Given that fact, it comes as no surprise that it takes so long to be diagnosed. How can there be only one clinic once a month for a condition that progresses so quickly and the prevalence of which is so widespread? Women's healthcare in the North is shocking. Women are expected to deal with endometriosis and other gynaecological conditions with little or no support. They are often told that it cannot be treated or that doctors are not sure what is causing the pain. Women in Northern Ireland deserve better.
Many constituents have reached out to me to detail their healthcare experiences, and, frankly, their stories are deeply upsetting. One of my constituents cried sorely as she spoke of the delayed treatment following her diagnosis, which has prevented her from ever having a child of her own. The really sad part is that a timely diagnosis and treatment would have made that outcome not inevitable. The way the health system has let those patients down is painful, and the consequences of those experiences are often long-lasting. The impact on their loved ones and their families' lives must not be understated. I have met many women who have had to give up their successful careers due to the vicious nature of the spread of the disease to multiple organs in their body. The lack of women's healthcare in Northern Ireland has resulted in some seeking private healthcare: that is not right. Women should not have to choose between financial strain and accessing gynae healthcare because our health system has failed them. That is why women's healthcare needs to be a priority. This month and beyond, I urge my fellow Members to continue advocating for better healthcare for women in Northern Ireland by raising awareness of the difficulties that women face day in, day out. As we mark Endometriosis Awareness Month, I urge Members to support women to be diagnosed and treated for that debilitating disease in a timely manner so that they can move forward to have fulfilling lives with good health outcomes.
458 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.04 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.90).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- Subject area: Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.05 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.90 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.04 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.72 |
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.27 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.01 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:03 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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