Children with gender incongruence deserve safe, compassionate and effective care. That healthcare must always be led by evidence. 🧵
The Cass Review was clear: there isn't enough evidence that puberty blockers are safe or beneficial for children with gender incongruence.
Dr Cass recommended a ban on prescribing them and a clinical trial to build that evidence. Kings College London has now launched that trial.
That's why I followed Dr Cass's recommendations and extended the ban on prescribing puberty-suppressing hormones indefinitely.
We're now setting up clinical trials to build the evidence base we need to support vulnerable children properly.
Puberty blockers have been used to delay puberty in children and young people who start puberty much too early. Use in those cases has been extensively tested and has met strict safety requirements.
King's College London are expert scientists who operate at the highest standards of safety and professionalism. Their expertise and rigorous approach will support the wellbeing of participants and ensure we get the robust evidence we need.
I know many have objections to both the puberty blockers ban and the clinical trial. And I know that there is a lot of pain and heartache for too many children and young people with gender incongruence who need better support.
I will always follow expert scientific advice to get us there. That's the only responsible way to resolve this contentious issue and protect vulnerable children.
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