Headline Roundup • March 14th, 2024
England Bans Prescription of Puberty Blockers to Children
LGBTQ Issues,Transgender Issues,Gender,Puberty Blockers,United Kingdom,Gender Identity,World,Culture War
Summary from the AllSides News Team
England’s National Health Service has banned the prescription of puberty blockers for children under 18 at gender identity clinics.
The Details: The NHS accepted proposals to stop the practice in 2022 following a review led by Dr. Hilary Cass that found “gaps in evidence” around the safety and effectiveness of the drugs. The decision confirms an interim policy established last year after a public consultation reigned in the legality of the drugs to use under “exceptional circumstances” or research trials only. Going forward, doctors can still apply to have them approved for patients on a case-by-case basis.
For Context: Presently, there is only one gender-identity health clinic facility for young people in England. According to Wikipedia, puberty blockers have also been banned in thirteen U.S. states: Utah, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Florida, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Oklahoma.
Key Quotes: Health minister Maria Caulfield said, “We have always been clear that children's safety and wellbeing [are] paramount, so we welcome this landmark decision by the NHS. Ending the routine prescription of puberty blockers will help ensure that care is based on evidence, expert clinical opinion, and is in the best interests of the child.”
How The Media Covered It: The Telegraph (Lean Right bias) labeled puberty blockers as “controversial” and elevated the “landmark” significance of the decision. The Guardian (Lean Left bias) included a perspective from the LGBT rights organization Stonewall.
Featured Coverage of this Story
ITV
Children who have gender dysphoria will no longer be given puberty blockers, NHS England has said, ahead of a radical change in how it cares for them.
There is not enough evidence about either how safe they are to take or whether they are clinically effective to justify prescribing them to children and young people who are transitioning, it added.
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...
Reuters
Children will no longer routinely be prescribed puberty blockers at gender identity clinics, NHS England has confirmed.
The decision comes after a review found there was "not enough evidence" they are safe or effective.
Puberty blockers, which pause the physical changes of puberty, will now only be available as part of research.
It comes weeks before an independent review into gender identity services in England is due to be published.
An interim report from the review, published in 2022 by Dr Hilary Cass, had earlier found there were "gaps in evidence" around...
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...
