The United Kingdom will ban puberty blockers for minors indefinitely except in clinical trials, the government announced on Wednesday.
“This decision follows independent expert advice from the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) that there is currently an unacceptable safety risk,” the announcement said.
Wes Streeting, secretary of state for health and social care of the United Kingdom, issued a statement on the matter.
“Children’s healthcare must always be evidence-led. The independent expert Commission on Human Medicines found that the current prescribing and care pathway for gender dysphoria and incongruence presents an unacceptable safety risk for children and young people,” he explained.
Earlier this year, Dr. Hilary Cass, a pediatrician, published a review into the support and treatment offered to children who think they’re born with the wrong gender. She concluded that so-called “gender-affirming” care for kids is built on “shaky foundations.”
In an interview with The New York Times, Cass explained that medical groups in the United States were misleading the public about transgender health care, especially as it pertains to children. One organization she mentioned specifically was the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), as Townhall covered.
In Streeting’s statement, he referenced Cass’ study and the fact that the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) announced earlier this year that children would no longer be prescribed puberty blockers, which Townhall covered.
“Dr Cass’ review also raised safety concerns around the lack of evidence for these medical treatments. We need to act with caution and care when it comes to this vulnerable group of young people, and follow the expert advice,” he said, adding that “We are working with NHS England to open new gender identity services, so people can access holistic health and wellbeing support they need. We are setting up a clinical trial into the use of puberty blockers next year, to establish a clear evidence base for the use of this medicine.”
In a statement, Dr. Cass supported the government’s decision to ban puberty blockers.
“Puberty blockers are powerful drugs with unproven benefits and significant risks, and that is why I recommended that they should only be prescribed following a multidisciplinary assessment and within a research protocol,” she said.
“I support the government’s decision to continue restrictions on the dispensing of puberty blockers for gender dysphoria outside the NHS where these essential safeguards are not being provided,” she added.
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