The United Kingdom has decided to maintain its ban on prescribing puberty-blocking drugs to minors, according to an announcement from Health Secretary Wes Streeting. This decision aligns with growing concerns voiced by the medical community regarding the questionable benefits and potential risks associated with these drugs.
Streeting emphasized the lack of evidence for the safety of child gender transitions: “Children’s health care must always be evidence-led. The independent expert Commission on Human Medicines found that the current prescribing and care pathway for gender dysphoria and incongruence presents an unacceptable safety risk for children and young people,” he admitted.
The Health Secretary also referenced the Cass Review, a detailed, official report by pediatrician Dr. Hilary Cass. The review questioned the benefits of puberty blockers for children and highlighted significant risks, suggesting these drugs should be prescribed only following comprehensive assessments and within research frameworks.
Despite the ban, the Labour Party government plans to allow controlled clinical trials for puberty blockers, potentially starting next year. These trials aim to build a robust evidence base regarding the efficacy and safety of the drugs.
The socialized National Health Service (NHS) had implemented a ban on puberty blockers for children under the previous Conservative Party government in March, followed by emergency legislation in May preventing their prescription by private healthcare providers as well.
Legal efforts by TransActual UK to overturn the ban were rejected by the High Court, which upheld the government’s legal authority to regulate such medications.