In what’s being called a “landmark decision,” NHS England announced it will no longer prescribe puberty blockers to individuals under age 18 in England at gender identity clinics.

“Puberty blockers aka sterilization drugs will no longer be prescribed to children in Britain, due to potentially severe negative effects,” Elon Musk wrote.

WATCH:

The decision comes after a review found there was “not enough evidence” they are safe or effective.

The Guardian reports:

The government welcomed NHS England’s “landmark decision”, which it said was “in the best interests of children”.

NHS England made the announcement in response to the results of a public consultation on the ban, which it first proposed last June, and a review of available evidence by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice).

A spokesperson said: “NHS England has carefully considered the evidence review conducted by NICE and further published evidence available to date.

“We have concluded that there is not enough evidence to support the safety or clinical effectiveness of puberty suppressing hormones to make the treatment routinely available at this time.”

“England’s National Health Service (NHS) has BANNED puberty blockers for kids because they lack evidence to support the safety and clinical effectiveness. This is a massive win for both child safety and sign that sanity may return,” Robby Starbuck said.

“England just banned puberty blockers in minors – because gender dysphoria is a mental health disorder. Affirming a kid’s confusion isn’t compassion. It’s cruelty. Truth & compassion aren’t in tension, they actually go together,” Vivek Ramaswamy commented.

WATCH:

From BBC:

An interim report from the review, published in 2022 by Dr Hilary Cass, had earlier found there were “gaps in evidence” around the drugs and called for a transformation in the model of care for children with gender-related distress.

Dr Cass’s review follows a sharp rise in referrals to the Gender Identity Development Service (Gids), run by the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, which saw an increase from 250 per year to over 5,000 in 2022.

Puberty supressing hormones – more commonly known as puberty blockers – work by suppressing the release of hormones that cause puberty and are often prescribed to children questioning their gender as a way of stopping physical changes such as breast development or facial hair.

Fewer than 100 young people in England are currently prescribed puberty blockers by the NHS. They will all able to continue their treatment.

NHS England held a public consultation on their usage and last year introduced an interim policy which stated they should only be given as part of research trials or in “exceptional circumstances”.

 

Join The Conversation. Leave a Comment.


We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.