English: This debate presents a timely opportunity to discuss the anxiety caused by the recent announcement of changes to cervical screening by Public Health Wales and explore it within its wider context. I appreciate that Public Health Wales has acknowledged that the announcement should have been dealt with better, and that Cancer Research UK has said that, whilst the announcement made the headlines, the story had a lot more to it than meets the eye. The new programme, in fact, provides more opportunities to spot symptoms in people who are at a greater risk of developing cervical cancer. This led me to question why a decision made by Public Health Wales, backed by the evidence of scientists and researchers, had caused so much fear and anger in our communities. And I think the social media comments that I had from women were very honest and revealing. Sarah told me, 'It's such a shame that none of this was explained. Women's health is really struggling more than ever. I have had difficulty in even getting birth control. This is now another thing to make women feel anxious about their health.' It reinforced to me that we cannot shy away from the wider context of health inequalities that are deep-rooted within our systems. And it is my belief that we cannot begin to discuss health inequalities without addressing the fact that medicine and research have predominantly been explored and developed through the vision of white men. We know this from both our history and everyday experiences, from sexual health and birth control to certain cancers and diseases. The politics of agency to address healthcare has historically been through the decision making and priorities of men. Women have told me that it is no wonder then that a decision such as that on cervical screening is met with concerns, when historically what we have known is that those without a cervix have made the decision for those whose lives were at stake. Although this is starting to change, I think extra effort must always be made to engage and listen to women. In my brief time as MS for Bridgend and Porthcawl, I have spoken to constituents about their experiences of the barriers faced by people seeking diagnosis and treatment for diseases such as endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome, or the fact that menopause remains an under-invested area of research for the ongoing experiences of people facing the effects and symptoms, or the horrifying statistics identifying that people from ethnic minority communities are more likely to die from childbirth than white people in the UK. We have so much to do to unpick the systemic inequalities, inequality that has seen women, ethnic minority communities and queer and trans folk in the background, rather than leading on the research that affects their own bodies and lives, which is why I support the amendment today that acknowledges the causes of health inequality are multifaceted and part of a wider context of structural inequality. I know that our health Minister has already been doing a lot of work to address this, and I'd welcome hearing more about this work today. I also acknowledge that the First Minister did address the cervical cancer screening changes yesterday, and that we will be having a debate on it next week, but I do feel that we need to grab every opportunity to address this, because there are a lot of women out there who have been left very scared.
Welsh: Mae'r ddadl hon yn gyfle amserol i drafod y pryder a achoswyd gan y cyhoeddiad diweddar am newidiadau i sgrinio serfigol gan Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru a'i archwilio yn ei gyd-destun ehangach. Rwy'n derbyn bod Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru wedi cydnabod y dylid bod wedi ymdrin â'r cyhoeddiad yn well, a bod Cancer Research UK wedi dweud, er bod y cyhoeddiad wedi cyrraedd y penawdau, fod llawer mwy i'r stori na'r hyn a welir ar yr olwg gyntaf. Mae'r rhaglen newydd, mewn gwirionedd, yn rhoi mwy o gyfleoedd i nodi symptomau ymhlith pobl sydd mewn mwy o berygl o ddatblygu canser ceg y groth. Gwnaeth hyn imi gwestiynu pam fod penderfyniad a wnaed gan Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru, wedi'i gefnogi gan dystiolaeth gwyddonwyr ac ymchwilwyr, wedi achosi cymaint o ofn a dicter yn ein cymunedau. A chredaf fod y sylwadau ar y cyfryngau cymdeithasol a gefais gan fenywod yn onest ac yn ddadlennol iawn. Dywedodd Sarah wrthyf, 'Mae'n gymaint o drueni nad esboniwyd dim o hyn. Mae iechyd menywod yn dioddef yn fwy nag erioed. Rwyf hyd yn oed wedi cael anhawster i gael darpariaeth atal cenhedlu. Dyma rywbeth arall i wneud i fenywod deimlo'n bryderus ynglŷn â'u hiechyd.' Fe wnaeth gadarnhau i mi na allwn osgoi cyd-destun ehangach anghydraddoldebau iechyd sydd wedi'u gwreiddio'n ddwfn yn ein systemau. Ac rwyf o'r farn na allwn ddechrau trafod anghydraddoldebau iechyd heb roi sylw i'r ffaith bod meddygaeth ac ymchwil wedi cael eu harchwilio a'u datblygu'n bennaf o safbwynt dynion gwyn. Gwyddom hyn o'n hanes a'n profiadau bob dydd, o iechyd rhywiol ac atal cenhedlu i rai mathau o ganser a chlefydau. Yn hanesyddol, mae gwleidyddiaeth y gallu i fynd i'r afael â gofal iechyd wedi digwydd drwy benderfyniadau a blaenoriaethau dynion. Mae menywod wedi dweud wrthyf nad yw'n syndod felly fod penderfyniad fel yr un ar sgrinio serfigol yn ennyn pryderon, a ninnau bob amser yn y gorffennol yn gwybod mai'r rhai heb serfics sydd wedi bod yn gwneud y penderfyniad ar ran y rhai roedd eu bywydau yn y fantol. Er bod hyn yn dechrau newid, rwy'n credu bod rhaid gwneud ymdrech ychwanegol bob amser i ymgysylltu â menywod a gwrando arnynt. Yn fy amser byr fel Aelod o'r Senedd dros Ben-y-bont ar Ogwr a Phorthcawl, rwyf wedi siarad ag etholwyr am eu profiadau o'r rhwystrau a wynebir gan bobl sy'n ceisio diagnosis a thriniaeth ar gyfer clefydau fel endometriosis a syndrom ofarïau polysystig, neu'r ffaith bod y menopôs yn parhau i fod yn faes na welodd ddigon o fuddsoddiad mewn ymchwil i brofiadau parhaus pobl sy'n wynebu effeithiau a symptomau, neu'r ystadegau arswydus sy'n nodi bod pobl o gymunedau lleiafrifol ethnig yn fwy tebygol o farw wrth roi genedigaeth na phobl wyn yn y DU. Mae gennym gymaint i'w wneud i ddatrys yr anghydraddoldebau systemig, anghydraddoldeb sydd wedi gweld menywod, cymunedau lleiafrifol ethnig a phobl gwiar a thraws yn y cefndir, yn hytrach nag yn arwain ar yr ymchwil sy'n effeithio ar eu cyrff a'u bywydau eu hunain, a dyna pam fy mod yn cefnogi'r gwelliant heddiw sy'n cydnabod bod amryfal resymau yn achosi anghydraddoldeb iechyd a'u bod yn rhan o gyd-destun ehangach o anghydraddoldeb strwythurol. Gwn fod ein Gweinidog iechyd eisoes wedi bod yn gwneud llawer o waith i fynd i'r afael â hyn, a byddwn yn falch o glywed mwy am y gwaith hwn heddiw. Rwyf hefyd yn cydnabod bod y Prif Weinidog wedi rhoi sylw i'r newidiadau i sgrinio canser ceg y groth ddoe, ac y byddwn yn cael dadl ar hynny yr wythnos nesaf, ond teimlaf fod angen inni fanteisio ar bob cyfle i roi sylw i hyn, oherwydd mae llawer o fenywod allan yno yn ofnus iawn.