More than a hundred children as young as ten will be put into clinical trials for transgender drugs in Britain, despite the government blocking puberty blockers from general use.
Last year, a review by leading pediatrician Dr Hilary Cass found that transgender medical practice was “built on shaky foundations” and that Britain's socialized healthcare system should not give puberty-blocking drugs to minors for safety reasons. The left-wing Labor Party government agreed and banned the practice for children.
However, Kass's review also left the door open for further medical trials, paving the way for a forthcoming study of 250 presumably transgender children aged 10 to 15 years after receiving regulatory approval this week. Times of London reported.
According to the document, more than half of children will be provided with drugs for up to two years to suppress their natural development, such as menstruation, breasts or facial hair. Their brain development and other health indicators will then be tracked and compared with those of children who were not treated with medication in early adulthood.
The Royal College team said the study was needed to provide suspected transgender children with “the information they need to make informed choices about their care.”
Study leader Professor Emily Simonov noted that parents will be required to provide consent throughout the study.
However, she acknowledged that the research could have long-term negative effects on the children involved, including potential effects on their fertility, mental development and bone structure.
However, Professor Simonov said the traces would test whether they would be compensated for by a reduction in anxiety and depression through “a better match between body features and long-term identity”.
The study sparked strong reactions, including from the political and medical communities.
Medical biology group Dr Alice Hodkinson said: “There is already clear evidence of harm and there is no ethical justification for exposing 200 more children to puberty blockers.
“We call on NHS England to stop putting children at risk and to prioritize a thorough review of the cohort of 2,000 children who have already been given puberty blockers.”
Former Prime Minister Liz Truss said“Just when you think transgender ideology is defeated, it rears its head again. Doing this to children is evil. It should be a crime.”
IN letter To Health Secretary Wes Streeting, Independent MP Rupert Lowe called on the government to intervene and stop the trial, expressing “deep concern and outright disgust at the decision to authorize a new clinical trial into giving children puberty-blocking drugs.”
“This is a deeply unethical experiment that must be stopped immediately. We cannot continue to subject children to such harmful medical interventions. This trial is unsafe and certainly not ethically justifiable. No child is born in the wrong body. To argue otherwise in any way is a grossly irresponsible abuse of power and authority. Normalizing such attitudes at all is immoral and dangerous.”
Follow Kurt Zindulka on X: Follow @KurtZindulka or by email: [email protected]
