The United Kingdom government has announced that the temporary ban on prescribing puberty blockers to under-18s questioning their gender identity will now be permanent.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting informed MPs of the decision, citing advice from the Commission on Human Medicines and describing the previous use of the drugs as a “scandal.”
The ban follows a consultation and findings from an expert group, which concluded that prescribing puberty blockers to children for gender dysphoria posed an “unacceptable safety risk.”
Earlier this year, a landmark review led by paediatrician Dr Hilary Cass highlighted the lack of evidence surrounding the treatment.
In March, NHS England halted the routine use of puberty blockers for children with gender dysphoria. Subsequently, in May, the Conservative government imposed an emergency ban, extending it to prescriptions from private and European providers. This was maintained by the Labour government when they came to power in the summer and later upheld by the High Court.
In a simple term, puberty blockers are drugs used to delay or prevent puberty from happening.
Announcing the indefinite ban, Streeting said, “It is a scandal that medicine was given to vulnerable children without the proof that it was safe or effective.”
However, he confirmed that a clinical trial into the use of puberty blockers, overseen by NHS England, would proceed. The ban will be reviewed in 2027 based on any new evidence. Children already on the drugs prior to the initial ban are permitted to continue their treatment.
Mixed reactions have continued to trail the announcement. Helen Joyce of the Sex Matters campaign group praised the decision, stating, “Wes Streeting has shown integrity and bravery in replacing a temporary ban with an indefinite order. It marks another step towards puberty blockers being relegated to a shameful chapter of history, in which parents and health professionals were emotionally blackmailed into harming children in the name of ‘progress.’”
On the other hand, TransActual’s Keyne Walker criticised the move, calling it “discrimination plain and simple.” Walker added, “Evidence of the harm of the temporary ban continues to emerge and will grow now that it has been made permanent.”
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