United Kingdom Stopped Routinely Prescribing Puberty Blockers – Watch
The United Kingdom has stopped the routine prescribing of puberty blockers to children under the age of 16. The decision was made by the National Health Service (NHS) after a review of the evidence found that the long-term effects of puberty blockers are not fully understood.
Puberty blockers are a type of hormone therapy that is used to delay the onset of puberty in children who are experiencing gender dysphoria. Gender dysphoria is a condition in which a person’s gender identity does not match their biological sex.
The National Health Service (NHS) released a statement noting that the organization “will only commission puberty suppressing hormones as part of clinical research” instead of prescribing the medication to children on a routine basis. The decision was made to follow the recommendations provided in an independent review conducted by Dr. Hilary Cass which highlighted “the significant uncertainties surrounding the use of hormone treatments.”
The report continued: We are now going out to targeted stakeholder testing on an interim clinical commissioning policy proposing that, outside of a research setting, puberty suppressing hormones should not be routinely commissioned for children and adolescents who have gender incongruence/dysphoria.
NHS England also announced the establishment of an oversight board to look into the effects of puberty blockers: NHS England has established a new national Children and Young People’s Gender Dysphoria Research Oversight Board which has now approved the development of a study into the impact of puberty suppressing hormones (‘puberty blockers’) on gender dysphoria in children and young people with early-onset gender dysphoria. More information on the Board and the study can be found in the consultation report.
The decision to stop the routine prescribing of puberty blockers has been welcomed by some conservative groups, who have argued that the drugs are being used to “medicalize” children and that they are not a long-term solution for gender dysphoria.
“This is a victory for common sense,” said Dr. Paul McHugh, a former psychiatrist-in-chief at Johns Hopkins Hospital. “Puberty blockers are not a harmless treatment. They can have serious long-term consequences.”
The decision has also been criticized by some transgender advocates, who argue that puberty blockers are a necessary treatment for children with gender dysphoria.
“This is a devastating blow to transgender youth,” said Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality. “Puberty blockers are a safe and effective treatment that can save lives.”
GOOD! United Kingdom’s entire Health Service has banned puberty blockers for minors 👏🏽👇🏽
In the USA on the other hand, you will not find a SINGLE academic medical center or professor, who will speak out against these treatments. That’s how SICK and corrupt the US system is pic.twitter.com/KT5mJYd9Xf
— Suneel Dhand MD (@DrSuneelDhand) June 9, 2023
