From falling birth rates to consent in marriage: this week in sex and relationships

Self-care note: This wrap-up includes discussion of women’s health, anti-LGBTQIA+ policies and behaviours, gender based violence, and more. If you find this distressing or triggering, remember to take it at your own pace. You may prefer to read small sections, wait until you feel ready to read it all, or choose not to read it at all.

1. Scotland’s falling birth rate linked to rising costs 📉

Scotland’s birth rate has hit a record low, with fewer than 46,000 births registered last year. Parents told STV News that rising childcare and living costs are forcing many families to stop at one child, even when they want more.

Women are also having children later, with the average age of first-time mothers now 30, up from 24 in the 1970s. Experts say the trend has long-term consequences for public services and the workforce, while campaigners argue that affordable, accessible childcare is now an urgent issue, not a personal lifestyle choice.

Source: STV News

2. Mum lifts baby from womb in Scotland’s first maternal-assisted C-section 👶

A woman in Scotland has given birth by maternal-assisted caesarean, lifting her baby from her womb during surgery in what is believed to be a first for the country.

Dr Leila El Alti, a university lecturer from West Lothian, helped deliver her daughter Aurora during a planned C-section with NHS Lanarkshire. After scrubbing in alongside medical staff, she lifted her baby onto her chest for immediate skin-to-skin contact. El Alti described the experience as “euphoric” and deeply healing after previous traumatic births.

She hopes the procedure, which is designed to give mothers greater involvement, consent, and control, could become an option for others, particularly women with birth-related trauma. NHS leaders said the case reflects a move towards person-centred, trauma-informed maternity care in Scotland.

Trudi Marshall, NHS Lanarkshire executive nurse director, said: “It’s a fantastic example of what we strive to provide – care that’s person-centred and trauma-informed and reflects Scotland’s health and social care policy of Getting It Right For Everyone.”

Source: STV News

3. Belfast may soon have LGBTQIA+ mural in the city centre 🌈

Belfast City Council is considering the creation of an LGBTQIA+ mural in the city centre, which would become a new landmark public artwork.

The mural could adorn a tower behind 2 Royal Avenue at Bank Square, where a dedicated LGBTQIA+ hub is set to open.

“It is a focal point in the city, and would be a very visible statement for the city’s support of the LGBT community,” said SDLP councillor Séamas de Faoite, who proposed the idea.

Source: Belfast Live

4. Menopause linked to changes in the brain’s grey matter 🧠

According to a new UK study, menopause is linked to changes in the brain’s grey matter similar to those seen in Alzheimer’s disease.

The study analysed data from almost 125,000 UK participants and found that menopause is associated with adverse mental health outcomes, as well as reductions in grey matter volume in key brain regions.

The changes were seen in the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory and learning; the entorhinal cortex, which is involved in memory processing; and the anterior cingulate cortex, which plays a role in cognitive functions such as emotional expression, attention allocation and mood regulation.

In addition, women with pre-existing mental health conditions were more likely to be prescribed HRT, which does not appear to reduce the effects of menopause on the brain.

The researchers say these findings could partly explain why women are at greater risk of dementia than men.

Source: BBC

5. Challenge over transgender people’s access to Hampstead Ponds dismissed 🏊‍♀️

A legal challenge against rules allowing trans people to use the single-sex facilities at Hampstead Heath’s swimming ponds in north London has been dismissed by the High Court.

The legal action was brought by Sex Matters against the City of London, which manages the ponds. Sex Matters argued that allowing trans people to use facilities based on gender identity amounted to sex discrimination and was unlawful based on the April 2025 Supreme Court ruling.

The challenge was dismissed, as Mrs Justice Lieven said the “appropriate forum” for such a claim would be an individual case brought in the county court, rather than proceedings in the High Court.

She said that “the more appropriate person to bring this claim is an individual who says that they have been discriminated against by decisions about access to the ponds.”

The Good Law Project said this decision is a “huge win for trans rights” and it was “relieved that the ponds can remain a place where trans people have always belonged.”

Source: The Guardian

6. France moves to end “marital duty” over consent concerns 💍

French MPs have unanimously backed a bill to end the notion of a “marital duty”, after women’s rights groups warned it undermines sexual consent and can enable marital rape.

The proposed law would clarify in France’s civil code that living together does not create any obligation to have sex, pushing back against older court interpretations that treated cohabitation as implying a “shared bed”. The bill now goes to the Senate.

The move follows a recent shift in French law and jurisprudence: France adopted the principle of consent in its legal definition of rape last year, and Europe’s top human rights court has ruled that refusing sex should not be treated as “fault” in divorce cases.

Source: France 24

7. Europe calls for banning conversion therapy ⛔

On Thursday, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a resolution calling for a ban on conversion therapy.

PACE expressed concern that different forms of conversion practices still exist across member states and urged governments to take action “to prevent and counter the harm.”

The resolution calls on member states to establish a clear definition of the practice, monitor and track it, and adopt legislation to prohibit it. It also proposes a set of measures to support and protect victims.

Although not legally binding, the resolution stresses that the issue is a matter of public health and human rights.

Source: ILGA – Europe

8. Anti-LGBTQIA+ incidents increased in the US, GLAAD says 📈

In 2025, GLAAD, the US media advocacy organisation, tracked more than 1,000 anti-LGBTQIA+ incidents in the US, a 5 per cent increase from 2024.

The ALERT Desk, GLAAD’s anti-LGBTQIA+ Extremism Reporting Tracker, documented 1,042 anti-LGBTQIA+ incidents across 47 US states and the District of Columbia. These included hateful vandalism, violent assaults, threats of mass violence and arson attempts.

The majority of the incidents targeted transgender and gender non-conforming people, representing a 10 per cent increase from 2024.

According to GLAAD, Pride Month was the most dangerous period, with increased visibility becoming a “double-edged sword”.

Source: GLAAD

9. Berkeley students made 300,000 Wikipedia edits to protect LGBTQIA+ history 🏳️‍🌈

As of January 2026, students at the University of California, Berkeley made over 300,000 edits and added 3,000 citations to Wikipedia articles on LGBTQIA+ history.

The project began in 2016, when Professor Juana María Rodríguez partnered with the non-profit Wiki Education.

Across a range of courses in ethnic studies and gender and women’s studies, Rodríguez’s students have edited and created Wikipedia articles on LGBTQIA+ history, with a particular focus on queer and transgender people of colour, resulting in over 300,000 edits and 96 million views.

“In a political moment where these histories are actively being erased from public view, having students work on a platform like Wikipedia becomes even more important,” Rodríguez said.

Source: them