The National Health Service (NHS) of England, one of four health service systems in the United Kingdom, has banned the practice of giving puberty blockers to children who claim to suffer from gender dysphoria.
Puberty blockers are designed to halt the maturation of the human body, preventing girls from developing breasts and boys from developing body and facial hair.
The health agency also implemented a fundamental overhaul of its transgender treatment protocol. It explained there is insufficient evidence to indicate best practices on the prescription of hormone therapy, especially to children and young adults, making it unjustifiable.
“NHS England has carefully considered the evidence review conducted by NICE and further published evidence available to date,” a spokesperson for the NHS said. “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.”
'We don't allow children to decide their own bedtimes, so why should children be able to take life-altering amounts of medical treatment because they feel different in a certain period of time.'
PR Consultant, Alex Deane, backs up the NHS' decision to ban puberty blockers. pic.twitter.com/l01mow8S8B
— GB News (@GBNEWS) March 13, 2024
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The English government welcomed the change, calling it a “landmark decision” and explaining it was “in the best interests of children.”
However, the NHS will also be opening new regional locations to treat those who purport to have gender dysphoria, and puberty blockers will still be available for minors undergoing clinical trials for scientific research.
Activists in favor of gender ideology have condemned the English government for the decision.
“All trans young people deserve access to high quality, timely healthcare,” said an advocate working for the nonprofit group Stonewall.
They continued: “For some, an important part of this care comes in the form of puberty blockers, a reversible treatment that delays the onset of puberty, prescribed by expert endocrinologists, giving the young person extra time to evaluate their next steps. We are concerned that NHS England will be putting new prescriptions on hold until a research protocol is up and running at the end of 2024.”
Shane Devine is a writer covering politics, economics, and culture for Valuetainment. Follow Shane on X (Twitter).
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