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Family campaigners have reacted angrily to an NHS decision to remove the term "dad" from its childbirth guide following a single complaint that it might upset same-sex couples.
The 220-page Ready Steady Baby pamphlet – which costs £100,00 to produce - will no longer refer to fathers because the complainant claimed it was 'not inclusive of people in same-sex relationships'.
Instead, the leaflet will use the non-gender specific term 'partner' in its latest revision.
The guide offers advice on pregnancy and the first year of parenthood and has been given to mums and dads-to-be for the last 14 years.
Norman Wells, of the Family Education Trust, attacked the move, telling the Telegraph: "The NHS should not be squandering tax payers' money to advance the cause of a minority interest group.
"No matter how much effort is made to present positive images of families headed by same-sex couples, the fact remains it takes a man and a woman to create a child."
And Robert Oxley, TaxpayerScotland campaign manager, said: "It's barmy that the NHS is wasting money reprinting guides because of a single complaint.
Becoming a dad isn't synonymous with one type of couple so it seems ridiculous to worry about changing it.
"The NHS has bigger priorities than prescribing how to define who wants to be called dad."
A spokesman for NHS Health Scotland, which was behind the booklet, said: "It is standard practice to review publications on a yearly basis, if not more often.
"At the time this complaint was received the Ready Steady Baby text had just been through its annual review, changes made and the new edition was printed in December 2011.
"The review process identified the need to use language that was more inclusive, particularly in relation to same sex partnerships."