Britain’s National Health Service has responded to public pressure by banning puberty blockers for minors, but there is still a long way to go to ensure the well-being of gender-confused children.
On March 21, the NHS published a policy document titled, “Prescribing Gender Affirming Hormones (masculinizing or feminizing hormones) as part of the Children and Young People’s Gender Service.”
These so-called “gender-affirming hormones” (GAH) are cross-sex hormones: estrogen for males and testosterone for females. The NHS cautions against the prescription of these drugs to children under 16, noting “the very limited evidence (including from other counties) about the effects and harms of GAH to young people.” But where is the evidence that they benefit 17-year-olds? Or 25-year-olds, for that matter? And why use the euphemism “gender-affirming hormones” when their purpose and biological effect is to manipulate the patient’s sex characteristics?
For now, the battle to ban puberty blockers on the NHS has been won. But the bigger battle of replacing transgender ideology with evidence-based medicine is just beginning.