Fury as NHS can give children of 15 ‘gender-affirming’ hormones
CHILDREN as young as 15 can be given ‘gender affirming’ hormones which are irreversible on the NHS, despite the ban on puberty blockers.
Guidance published this week states that teenagers can be prescribed the bodyaltering chemicals ‘ from around their 16th birthday’, potentially meaning they could start transgender treatment months earlier.
The requirement to take puberty blockers – which stunt adolescent development – for at least 12 months beforehand has effectively been scrapped, removing any cooling-off period before starting on the hormones.
Eligibility rules stipulate that ‘associated difficulties such as a psychotic episode, drug addiction or self-harming are not escalating’ – but they do not rule out a prescription for individuals suffering from these conditions.
Campaigners last night said the policy was ‘extremely worrying’. Helen Joyce, of women’s rights group Sex Matters, said: ‘The NHS must urgently rethink before any more children are harmed by medical practices that are driven by ideology rather than evidence of clinical benefit.’
Health service sources said the policy was intended to be a temporary measure ahead of the final report of the Cass Review – an independent study commissioned by NHS England – into gender identity services for children.
They insisted the policy was designed to strengthen the clinical checks needed before hormones can be prescribed.
It requires teenagers to be assessed by ‘a multidisciplinary team’, given ‘continued psychological support’ and evidence that they have been told about the potential impact on their fertility.
Under existing policy, only teenagers ‘who’ve been on hormone blockers for at least 12 months’ can receive cross- sex hormones. But last week, such blockers were banned on the NHS for under-18s in what the Government described as a ‘landmark decision’.
Last night, Conservative MP
‘No child can give consent to this’
Jackie Doyle-Price said: ‘This kind of treatment causes permanent loss of sexual function. It should never be administered to children for gender reassignment... No child can give informed consent to this.’
Former prime minister Liz Truss, who has tabled a Bill proposing an outright ban on hormone therapy for under-18s, said: ‘The only way we will stop children being supplied with puberty blockers and cross- sex hormones is through primary legislation.
‘Sadly, activist groups have too much influence on public bodies.’
An NHS spokesman said: ‘This update continues to be subject to strict eligibility and readiness, and now includes assessment by a specialist multidisciplinary team to ensure clinical consensus is reached before life-changing medical treatment is initiated.’