UK maintains indefinite ban on administering puberty blockers to individuals under 18 years old
The UK has finalised a permanent ban on prescribing puberty blockers to under-18s with gender dysphoria, a decision made by Health Secretary Wes Streeting in 2024. This ban follows an extensive NHS-commissioned investigation, known as the Cass Review, which highlighted uncertainties and research gaps regarding the long-term outcomes of puberty blockers.
The Cass Review, published in April 2024, was conducted by Hilary Cass and found that gender medicine for children and young people has remarkably weak evidence on medical interventions, including puberty blockers, hormone treatments, and psychosocial care.
In response, the NHS has paused new prescriptions of gender-affirming hormones to minors, focusing instead on "holistic care." The number of referrals to gender identity services has been drastically reduced. A clinical trial named "Pathways," delayed to 2025, is underway to assess the effects of puberty blockers on children’s physical, social, and emotional well-being, including brain development. Results are expected by 2031.
The ban prohibits the sale and supply of these medications by prescribers from the European Economic Area or Switzerland to individuals under 18 for any reason. It is important to note that this ban does not affect NHS and private patients who were already receiving these medicines for gender dysphoria before the ban.
The Evangelical Alliance (EAUK), a Christian organisation, has generally approached gender identity issues from a conservative theological perspective. While specific statements from them on this ban after 2024 are not detailed in the search results, their usual standpoint is cautious about medical interventions on minors. Peter Lynas, United Kingdom director of the EAUK, has stated that the conclusions of the Cass Review are largely consistent with biblical perspectives on gender medicine for children and young people.
In a broader context, the conclusions of the Cass Review open up the space for deep discussions on what it means to be human, and the Evangelical Alliance believes that these conversations provide an opportunity for fascinating missional conversations. Lynas also highlighted that the Cass Review opens up the space for missional conversations about dignity, care, respect, bodies, and reality.
This permanent ban on puberty blockers for under-18s in the UK will be reviewed in 2027. Hundreds of families were preparing to sue the Tavistock foundation for medical negligence after the closure of the Tavistock gender clinic in London in July 2022. The ban applies only to new patients, with NHS and private patients already receiving these medicines for gender dysphoria continuing to have access.
References:
[1] NHS (2024). Final Report of the Cass Review. Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cass-review-final-report
[2] Department of Health and Social Care (2024). Permanent Ban on Puberty Blockers for Under-18s. Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/news/permanent-ban-on-puberty-blockers-for-under-18s
- The Cass Review, published in April 2024, revealed a lack of robust evidence on medical interventions for gender dysphoria in children and young people, such as puberty blockers, hormone treatments, and psychosocial care, within the field of science.
- In the realm of policy-and-legislation, Health Secretary Wes Streeting implemented a permanent ban on prescribing puberty blockers to under-18s with gender dysphoria in 2024, following the Cass Review.
- The ban on puberty blockers is not confined to the UK; it also prohibits the sale and supply of these medications to individuals under 18 by prescribers from the European Economic Area or Switzerland.
- In the world of politics, the ban on puberty blockers for under-18s has sparked broader discussions on what it means to be human, as observed by the Evangelical Alliance, which operates in the health-and-wellness sector, including sexual-health and mental-health, and views these discussions as an opening for missional conversations about dignity, care, respect, bodies, and reality.
