Puberty blockers to be banned indefinitely for under-18s across UK
Puberty blockers to be banned indefinitely for under-18s across UK
Health secretary says emergency measures banning sale and supply will be made indefinite after expert advice
Puberty blockers for under-18s with gender dysphoria will be banned indefinitely across the UK except for use in clinical trials, the government has announced.
Wes Streeting, the health secretary, said that after receiving advice from medical experts, he would make existing emergency measures banning the sale and supply of puberty blockers indefinite.
The Department of Health and Social Care said the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) had published independent expert advice that there was “currently an unacceptable safety risk in the continued prescription of puberty blockers to children”.
So puberty blockers are not legal until puberty is over? Makes complete sense /s
Puberty blockers to be banned indefinitely for under-18s with gender dysphoria across UK
I fixed the title. Of course, they're still available for other medical conditions, they're just singling out gender dysphoria.
"Medical Experts"
I don't know about the issue enough for me to comment on if she is biased or not, but I found this NYT interview (archive.org link) and she really seems to try to be playing both sides to me. Her main arguement seems to be don't treat this as an issue to resolve gender, that makes you ignore mental health/depression/other things, but with there not being the best care of that nature available for trans individuals, what avenue is left for them?
It sounds like she wants to go on about a lack of enough proof for her to stop treatment, but it also doesn't sound like she has enough proof to say it's harmful, but that doesn't seem to discourage her helping eliminate it.
Well her position doesn't seem to be that she wants to eliminate it at all. She says the evidence is too weak for a general green light. She supports it being offered but as research:
There are young people who absolutely benefit from a medical pathway, and we need to make sure that those young people have access — under a research protocol, because we need to improve the research — but not assume that that’s the right pathway for everyone.
Also:
I think there is an appreciation that we are not about closing down health care for children. But there is fearfulness — about health care being shut down, and also about the report being weaponized to suggest that trans people don’t exist. And that’s really disappointing to me that that happens, because that’s absolutely not what we’re saying.
Here's the biography and credentials of the primary expert: https://cass.independent-review.uk/about-the-review/the-chair/
I can understand being angry with what's happening but I don't believe there's any question about that persons medical expertise and credentials.
Credentials sure, but Cass has also been found to follow anti Trans groups, threw out any positive study that wasn't blind (which would have been unethical to run) and the report itself was influenced by a similar report originally done in Florida under Ron DeSantis. This is a biased report that started with a conclusion and ignored any evidence that disagreed.
Well, they have lost the credible part.
Wes Streeting is pro child self-harm, at least as long as those children are trans. Fucking scum
Unacceptable safety risk in trans kids feeling comfortable with who they are as human beings.
WTF puberty blockers aren't used for only trans kids. They are also used to treat precocious puberty.
That's still legal. Only banned for gender dysmorphia.
*dysphoria
different word, common mistake
That is messed up as heck.
These monsters just hate trans kids so much. TERF island strikes again.
Next they're gonna make Harry Potter mandatory reading.
Care to elaborate on the safety risks there, Wes?
While I don't agree with it's findings, there is a 388-page report this decision is based on.
A review of the infamous CASS report:
Results from 5 uncontrolled, observational studies suggest that, in children and adolescents with gender dysphoria, gender-affirming hormones are likely to improve symptoms of gender dysphoria, and may also improve depression, anxiety, quality of life, suicidality, and psychosocial functioning. The impact of treatment on body image is unclear. All results were of very low certainty using modified GRADE
Safety outcomes were reported in 5 observational studies. Statistically significant increases in some measures of bone density were seen following treatment with gender-affirming hormones, although results varied by bone region (lumber spine versus femoral neck) and by population (transfemales versus transmales). However, z-scores suggest that bone density remained lower in transfemales and transmales compared with an equivalent cisgender population. Results from 1 study of gender-affirming hormones started during adolescence reported statistically significant increases in blood pressure and body mass index, and worsening of the lipid profile (in transmales) at age 22 years, although longer term studies that report on cardiovascular event rates are required. Adverse events and discontinuation rates associated with gender-affirming hormones were only reported in 1 study, and no conclusions can be made on these outcomes.
This document was prepared in October 2020
Evidence review (.PDF): Gender-affirming hormones for children and adolescents with gender dysphoria https://cass.independent-review.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/20220726_Evidence-review_Gender-affirming-hormones_For-upload_Final.pdf
Other reading:
Fact Check: New York Times Publishes Misleading Story On Puberty Blocker Study
Watching:
Exposing the Dangers of Anti-Trans Fascism | RE: The Cass Review & Labour's Downfall
What do they think puberty blockers do?
think
I'm gonna stop you right there, no useful thought process was involved here at all.
evil fucking bastards
Ouch.
That's not for them to decide, they're not the experts.
They are acting upon the recommendation of the largest systematic review of the evidence in the UK to date.
The plan is " to set up a clinical trial into the use of puberty blockers next year and to recruit the first patients by spring. Streeting said the study would help “establish a clear evidence base for the use of this medicine”."
Essentially, the research on this has been so polarized, the results so conflicting and the science riddled with terrible methodology etc that the government is saying "fuck it, we'll establish our own gigantic study."
Good for them
Common sense.
How is denying scientifically proven medical care "common sense"?
Because kids under the age of 18 shouldn't be allowed to use these types of medications. I just don't think we're fully aware of the consequences at that age. I mean, I did a ton of stupid shit when I was a kid.. didn't we all? I look back and think, WTF was I thinking?
EDIT: my comment that was removed literally said "common sense". Y'all getting worse than Reddit....
Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) had published independent expert advice that there was “currently an unacceptable safety risk in the continued prescription of puberty blockers to children”.
Wait, that means Trump was right?
No.