Britain: NHS Bans Puberty Blocker Prescriptions for Children
March 13th, 2024Via: Telegraph:
Children will be banned from receiving puberty blockers on prescription under NHS rules that come into effect immediately.
Under-18s will now only be able to take the controversial drugs as part of a clinical trial set to start at the end of this year.
Ministers said the “landmark decision” was in children’s “best interests” and would help to ensure youngsters who feel their gender is not the same as their sex are being treated using medical evidence.
The proposals to stop the practice were first accepted by NHS England in July 2022 following recommendations made by a review led by Dr Hilary Cass, the former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
She warned that the drugs may permanently disrupt the brain maturation of adolescents, potentially rewiring neural circuits in a way that cannot be reversed, and said there was a lack of long-term evidence and data collection on their safety and effectiveness.
The blockers pause the physical changes of puberty such as breast development or facial hair.
Experts have said the “affirmative” approach by the controversial Tavistock clinic, and subsequent referrals for the prescribing of blockers, was sending children on an “irreversible” path without exploring mental health conditions.
