The UK’s NHS has quietly changed its advice on the health and safety of certain invasive “treatments” offered to children suffering with gender dysphoria.
Regarding the use of hormone blockers to repress a child’s natural puberty development, the website of the NHS used to say, “The effects of treatment with GnRH [gonadotrophin-releasing hormone] analogues are considered to be fully reversible, so treatment can usually be stopped at any time….”.
However, on May 28th, it was changed to read: “Little is known about the long-term side effects of hormone or puberty blockers in children with gender dysphoria. Although the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) advises this is a physically reversible treatment if stopped, it is not known what the psychological effects may be. It’s also not known whether hormone blockers affect the development of the teenage brain or children’s bones.”
The change, which was effected quietly, was noticed by James Kirkup, the Director of the Social Market Foundation. He asked why the NHS is still using such treatments on children given that they now acknowledge that the long-term effects on the physical and mental health of those children is unknown.
He also asked what are the children and parents who were reassured by the earlier NHS advice supposed to think now.
