Current Events > UK National Health Service bans puberty blockers for gender transitions

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/healthcare/uk-bans-puberty-blockers-national-health-service

The United Kingdoms National Health Service announced on Friday it plans to ban puberty blockers outside of the use of clinical trials as well as increasingly to regulate gender transition treatments for minors.
We have previously made clear the intention that the NHS will only commission puberty suppressing hormones as part of clinical research, the NHS announcement said.

The 25-page document for U.K. practitioners specifies that the NHS will adopt a holistic, multi-disciplinary integrated approach to assessing and responding to an individuals needs and will center on fully involving the child or young person and their family.
A significant proportion of children and young people who are concerned about, or distressed by, issues of gender incongruence experience coexisting mental health, neuro-developmental and/or personal, family or social complexities in their lives. The relationship between these presentations and gender incongruence may not be readily apparent and will often require careful exploration, the report reads.
The NHS also acknowledges the increased prevalence of mental health needs and neurodevelopmental disorders among youth that have been identified as comorbidities of gender dysphoria. The new protocols now require expertise for the direct assessment of autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and other forms of neurodiversity to be included in a minors treatment plan when addressing gender dysphoria.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Children who have already been treated with puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones will be assessed on a case-by-case basis by their medical providers, but the NHS strongly [discourages] sourcing puberty suppressing or gender affirming hormones from unregulated sources or from on-line providers that are not regulated by UK regulatory bodies.
Republicans in Missouri, Louisiana, and Florida have taken steps in recent months to enact similar bans on gender-transitioning medicine for minors, and the issue has become a central feature of the 2024 presidential election campaign season.

It doesn't look like there was a topic about it here.

We're gonna look back on Brexit as having similar effects to the Treaty of Versailles

Is this an actual ban, or just refusing to pay for it?

TERF island lives up to its name

It shouldn't be as any surprise. Corbyn was the last pro-trans politician they had on the public stage before his own party hit him with a character assassination so the right wing fuckers within it could take control.

Why do people from the UK look down on us again

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

That's the point.

Aloc posted...

Why do people from the UK look down on us again

To be fair, its not so much that we think were better than you. Were just shit in different ways sometimes.

Questionmarktarius posted...

Is this an actual ban, or just refusing to pay for it?

Guidance to not prescribe it except under exceptional circumstances until more evidence and longitudinal research, is the official line. Not sure how I feel about this one.

Questionmarktarius posted...

Is this an actual ban, or just refusing to pay for it?

They aren't banned, they won't be available on the free National Health Service outside of clinical trials.

Those who can afford it will get them from private healthcare providers. Those who can't will likely turn to dodgy Internet sites.

Trans care is a shambles in the UK anyway. There is only one clinic currently, which is mired in scandal and has a waiting list of years.

pinky0926 posted...

Guidance to not prescribe it except under exceptional circumstances until more evidence and longitudinal research, is the official line.

Some sort of soft ban, huh?

pinky0926 posted...

Guidance to not prescribe it except under exceptional circumstances until more evidence and longitudinal research, is the official line. Not sure how I feel about this one.

There's been tons of evidence and research showing that puberty blockers are completely harmless, and no evidence or credible research claiming otherwise. This move is nothing but an attempt to get more trans kids to suffer and potentially kill themselves, as one would expect from a country that earned the nickname of "TERF Island".

So this reads like their plan is to just diagnose it all as autism/ADHD?

what could go wrong

Questionmarktarius posted...

Some sort of soft ban, huh?

You could read it charitably as "we just need more evidence on powerful hormone drugs for children who have complex mental health issues" which sort of falls in line with the NHS' outdated policy on hormones in general (like men in their 50s can't get TRT either), or you could chalk it up to TERF island and the tory parties' general ambivalence and distaste for trans people existing

pinky0926 posted...

(like men in their 50s can't get TRT either)

again, is that a ban, or just refusal to pay for it?

SpawnShadow posted...

There's been tons of evidence and research showing that puberty blockers are completely harmless, and no evidence or credible research claiming otherwise. This move is nothing but an attempt to get more trans kids to suffer and potentially kill themselves, as one would expect from a country that earned the nickname of "TERF Island".

I've always found the "TERF island" nickname a bit odd when by any notable human rights index trans people are considerably better off here than in America, but that's not to say that things are good either.

Questionmarktarius posted...

again, is that a ban, or just refusal to pay for it?

Refusal to pay for it, but it may as well be a ban when private healthcare is only an option for the very upwardly mobile in the UK (I know in the states private medical care is kind of standard but it certainly is not here).

Questionmarktarius posted...

again, is that a ban, or just refusal to pay for it?

The latter.

They are still available if you go to a private doctor and pay.

This service outlines the costs:

https://www.gendergp.com/help-centre/gendergp-service-costs/

Puberty blocking injections are 270 for 3 months, but there are other fees involved.

Question for our UK folks - is this likely to stay in effect? or like some our US legislation passed knowing it will be overturned?

Disgusting. The UK is so bloody transphobic.

Ruvan22 posted...

Question for our UK folks - is this likely to stay in effect? or like some our US legislation passed knowing it will be overturned?

The NHS is in a downward spiral with no end in sight and it's cutting funding and services on every level faster than bolsanaro was cutting trees.

Well this is monstrous :(

So they are not supporting them until more research is done. Are they funding more research?

pinky0926 posted...

The NHS is in a downward spiral with no end in sight and it's cutting funding and services on every level faster than bolsanaro was cutting trees.

From my limited knowledge, it seems like those in power in the UK are doing what Republicans over here do a lot: break something on purpose through under funding it and other shady tactics, say it's crap, and convince people it needs to be privatized.

Aloc posted...

Why do people from the UK look down on us again

Speaking as someone who did, I don't. Not any more.

Ruvan22 posted...

Question for our UK folks - is this likely to stay in effect? or like some our US legislation passed knowing it will be overturned?

These restrictions actually first came in to effect due to a high court case (Bell v. Tavistock) that was later overturned by the court of appeals. The NHS introduced severe restrictions on puberty blockers in response to the ruling, responded to it being overturned by keeping the restrictions and launching an 'investigation' into what they should do next, and the result of said investigation was this total ban on puberty blockers.

So the future is not bright. NHS management has been pretty well captured by the gender critical movement and even if they weren't the NHS is funded by the government and our fanatically anti-trans Conservative government isn't above using the threat of cutting that funding to get what they want.

Ruvan22 posted...

Question for our UK folks - is this likely to stay in effect? or like some our US legislation passed knowing it will be overturned?

It's not legislation, just policy.

It could be overturned in a moment if the will existed.

Kloe_Rinz posted...

So they are not supporting them until more research is done. Are they funding more research?

Yes.

There are a lot of very vocal, and well-placed supporters of the anti trans 'gender critical' movement in the UK. The vast majority of people don't really want to know about the issue, so they wield considerable influence.

Southernfatman posted...

From my limited knowledge, it seems like those in power in the UK are doing what Republicans over here do a lot: break something on purpose through under funding it and other shady tactics, say it's crap, and convince people it needs to be privatized.

Spot on. Why deliver essential healthcare services to the plebs when you can privatise it and sell contracts to your old buddies from the old boy's club?

So they're going to plug their ears and ignore all the research on puberty blockers, pretend gender-affirming care is brand-new territory with little formal guidance, and diagnose every child as autistic or ADHD.

Fuck this goddamn planet. Tired of everyone but healthcare workers dictating healthcare.

Shameful.

hockeybub89 posted...

So they're going to plug their ears and ignore all the research on puberty blockers, pretend gender-affirming care is brand-new territory with little formal guidance, and diagnose every child as autistic or ADHD.

Fuck this goddamn planet. Tired of everyone but healthcare workers dictating healthcare.

This policy stems from a report carried out by Dr Hilary Cass, President of the Royal College Paediatrics. Basically, the top paediatrician in the country.

A lot of healthcare professionals in the UK have these views. A lot of well-placed people in all walks of life and from all political parties have these views.

That's what makes it so insidious and hard to shift. It's not just right wing nutters and populist politicians screaming 'groomers!' and ranting about God, The Bible, and telling lies about 'mutilation'. It's serious people in positions of power compiling years-long reports. They never mention grooming or God. They talk about 'lack of data' and 'rise in cases' and 'ideological predisposition'.

Just so we are clear, I think they are wrong and that their policies are disastrous for trans people. But they are a very different and even more dangerous foe than most of their US counterparts.

pinky0926 posted...

You could read it charitably as "we just need more evidence on powerful hormone drugs for children who have complex mental health issues" which sort of falls in line with the NHS' outdated policy on hormones in general (like men in their 50s can't get TRT either), or you could chalk it up to TERF island and the tory parties' general ambivalence and distaste for trans people existing

Why not both?

A disgusting development. These are the times that will be shown in textbooks as an example of the evil of the earlier (current) generations. Few will admit to supporting this deadly policy once it's changed and society doesn't collapse.

pinky0926 posted...

You could read it charitably as "we just need more evidence on powerful hormone drugs for children who have complex mental health issues" which sort of falls in line with the NHS' outdated policy on hormones in general (like men in their 50s can't get TRT either), or you could chalk it up to TERF island and the tory parties' general ambivalence and distaste for trans people existing

tbf being better than the US is a very low bar. Although in this instance, it does seem the UK has done something backwards that the US (at least federally) hasn't done yet.

All I know is if a parent has a trana kid, I hope they don't take no for an answer. Any doctor complying with these bigoted laws is as bad as the people creating them.

RuneterranSnap posted...

All I know is if a parent has a trana kid, I hope they don't take no for an answer. Any doctor complying with these bigoted laws is as bad as the people creating them.

That reminds me, there were some new anti-protest bills passed a few months ago too.

Kloe_Rinz posted...

So they are not supporting them until more research is done. Are they funding more research?

Guess.

WesternMedia posted...

That reminds me, there were some new anti-protest bills passed a few months ago too.

Imagine the government thinking they have the authority or the power to tell people when they can't criticize them

RuneterranSnap posted...

All I know is if a parent has a trana kid, I hope they don't take no for an answer. Any doctor complying with these bigoted laws is as bad as the people creating them.

In the UK most won't have a choice unless their families are rich enough to seek treatment outside of the UK. The NHS is literally all they got.

Xenogears15 posted...

In the UK most won't have a choice unless their families are rich enough to seek treatment outside of the UK. The NHS is literally all they got.

The NHS will still have access to the necessary medications so they still have a choice.

WesternMedia posted...

That reminds me, there were some new anti-protest bills passed a few months ago too.

And very recently they used a centuries old law to sneak in the original anti protest law they wanted in rather than changes they were forced to make.

RuneterranSnap posted...

All I know is if a parent has a trana kid, I hope they don't take no for an answer. Any doctor complying with these bigoted laws is as bad as the people creating them.

A doctor may prescribe puberty blockers.

But the state-run health service will not pay for them. The cost must be paid privately by the patient or their family.

ai123 posted...

A doctor may prescribe puberty blockers.

But the state-run health service will not pay for them. The cost must be paid privately by the patient or their family.

Then I guess the doctor gets to provide them without getting paid.

pinky0926 posted...

I've always found the "TERF island" nickname a bit odd when by any notable human rights index trans people are considerably better off here than in America, but that's not to say that things are good either.

It depends where in the US.

RuneterranSnap posted...

Then I guess the doctor gets to provide them without getting paid.

Doesn't work like that.

Doctors don't hand out medicine. They write a prescription which is then fulfilled by a pharmacy. Someone needs to get paid at some point.

Blaming doctors and pharmacists for not paying for trans care out of their own pocket is an arse-backwards way of looking at it.

RuneterranSnap posted...

Imagine the government thinking they have the authority or the power to tell people when they can't criticize them

Authority is derived from power, and unfortunately they very much have the power.

Its called police and military.

ai123 posted...

Doesn't work like that.

If it's my kid then it would. I'm not letting my loved ones be denied necessary medical care because some bigots in power overestimate how much I'm willing to tolerate their bullshit, and the same thing goes for people who are complying with them.