In a official document published on 9 June, the UK National Health Service (NHS) declared that puberty blockers should no longer be prescribed 'outside of a research context' to children and adolescents with 'gender incongruence or gender dysphoria'.
The turning point is confirmed by the guidelines for two new regional 'gender clinics which will open in the autumn in England, which states that hormone suppression drugs will no longer be 'routinely offered' to minors who declare themselves trans.
The two new clinics will replace the controversial Tavistock, which is about to close after an independent enquiry by paediatrician Hilary Cass deemed it 'unsafe' (we told you about it here). The closure of the Tavistock and its controversial 'Gender Identity Development Service' (Gids) was planned for spring this year (see here), but the service is still in operation. The reason for the delay is not known.
An NHS spokesman also announced that a study on 'the impact of puberty blockers on children and young people with early-onset gender dysphoria, which aims to be operational in 2024', is in preparation.
The psychiatrist David Bell, a former manager of the Tavistock clinic who later became whistleblower (see here), heard by the Telegraph stated: "All scientific evidence shows that puberty blockers do not help, and there is clear evidence of the physical and psychological damage they cause, so this change is in line with the evidence we have'. And again: 'A very high percentage of children being treated for gender dysphoria have other problems such as autism and depression, and many are upset or confused about their sexuality'.
James Esses, co-founder of Thoughtful Therapists, association of psychotherapists working in the field of child protection, defined 'an earthquake' the NHS decisionHopefully this will put an end to the risk of vulnerable children being put on the road to irreversible harm', he told the Telegraph.
Translation and adaptation by Maria Celeste
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