Two-thirds of women with physical disabilities unable to attend cervical screenings

New research released by Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust has revealed the extent to which women who have physical disabilities are discriminated against when attempting to undergo cervical screenings. The charity surveyed 335 women for the investigation who have health conditions including spinal muscular atrophy, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, paraplegia and cerebral palsy. According to the study's findings, 88% of the participants felt that it is more difficult for a women with a physical disability to attend a cervical screening and just under half of the participants said that they had purposely chosen not to attend a smear test because of a negative, past experience they'd had due to their disability.

Robert Music, Chief Executive of Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust, said: ""It is not acceptable that women with a physical disability are often faced with additional hurdles or even being denied access to this potentially lifesaving test."

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Source: Independent, 8 August 2019