I am horrified that so many women are forgoing the opportunity to have a cervical smear test (Home smear tests to be trialled in London, following lockdown delays, 24 February). In the mid-1960s, the Guardian had an excellent article about the paucity of opportunities to have such a test, ending with the suggestion that, if it was something that affected men, there would be a clinic in every village and in parliament. As a result of my letter to the paper, a reader from Yorkshire and I raised a petition, which I delivered to Downing Street, and I sent a copy of the article to every MP. So come on, girls! Just remember that some of us, as a result of the Guardian’s perspicacity, worked hard to potentially save your lives. And soon you could even have a DIY test, so there is no excuse.
Helen Keating
Gatehouse of Fleet, Dumfries and Galloway
