Breaking:
The NHS have banned puberty blockers for children outside of clinical research.
This day will go down in history as the day that safeguarding of children came back into existence.
— James Esses (@JamesEsses) June 9, 2023
Following a public consultation and advice from Dr Hilary Cass’ Independent Review “highlighting the significant uncertainties surrounding the use of hormone treatments,” England’s National Health Service (NHS) has announced it will “only commission puberty suppressing hormones as part of clinical research.”
An NHS document explains that “there is not enough evidence to support their safety or clinical effectiveness as a routinely available treatment.”
Countries like Norway, France, Finland, and Sweden are warning against or restricting medical transition for minors. In the United States, more than 20 states have passed laws banning the use of puberty-blockers and cross-sex hormones, with some making it a felony for doctors to prescribe them.
The NHS also recommends avoiding immediately “affirming” a child’s “gender identity,” explaining:
“The clinical management approach should be open to exploring all developmentally and psychosocially appropriate options for children and young people who are experiencing gender incongruence. The clinical approach should be mindful that this may be a transient phase, particularly for pre-pubertal children, and that there will be a range of pathways to support these children and young people and a range of outcomes…”
This decision does not prevent UK children and their families from obtaining puberty blockers elsewhere, but that will be “strongly discouraged,” the NHS said.
The health service’s gender identity clinic, run by the Tavistock and Portman Trust, is set to close in March 2024 following Dr Cass’ review, which found the service is “unsustainable” and said a new model of care is needed.