NHS Scotland has stopped all new prescriptions for puberty-blocking drugs and other hormonal treatments for minors, citing a comprehensive review of adolescent gender services issued in England last week. It is the sixth country in Europe to restrict such treatments, and its changes are among the most restrictive.
this reviewA four-year study commissioned by NHS England and conducted by independent paediatrician Dr Hilary Cass concluded that the evidence for the benefits of gender therapy in adolescents was “very weak” , and pressing questions remain about potential long-term impacts. risk.
This month, NHS England stopped using puberty blockers in children outside of clinical trials, following advice from Dr Cass. Teenagers aged 16 and over in the UK can still receive hormone therapy, including estrogen and testosterone.
New changes in Scotland go further, suspending the prescription of puberty blockers while limiting hormone treatments until teenagers turn 18. The changes will not affect patients who already receive these medicines from the country’s Youth Gender Service.
Dr Emilia Crighton, Director of Public Health at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said: “We will continue to provide the psychological support they need to all those referred to the Youth Gender Service. Pathways are also being reviewed based on the findings. “Scotland’s only adolescent gender clinic, Sandyford Sexual Health Service, is located here.
Health officials in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and the United Kingdom have expressed concern about a surge in demand for gender therapy among adolescents in recent years. changed National health guidelines limit treatment for teens with gender distress, known as dysphoria.
Transgender advocacy groups in Scotland criticized the changes, saying they were motivated by a backlash against trans people.
Vic Valentine, manager of advocacy group Scottish Trans, said in a statement: “We regret that this change will result in some young people simply not getting the care they need, or having to wait longer.”
The organization said prescriptions for puberty blockers in Scotland were “extremely rare and discreet”, leading to long waiting lists.
According to public records obtained protectorthe Sandyford Clinic recommended puberty blockers to 71 children from 2016 to 2023. bbc scotland The report said there were 1,100 children on the waiting list for youth gender services at the end of 2023, with some waiting more than four years to be seen.
2022, suggested A Scottish law making it easier for trans people to change the gender marker on their ID documents has galvanized a coalition of conservative lawmakers and feminists to push to exclude trans women from women’s spaces.
Scotland’s top health officials have welcomed the recommendations in Dr Cass’s review, arguing that the increasingly polarizing debate over transgender rights was damaging health care for teenagers.
Scottish Health Secretary Neil Gray said in a statement: “We agree with Dr Hilary Cass who highlighted the ‘increasingly toxic, ideological and polarizing public debate’ on young people accessing this care. People are unhelpful. “They should be at the center of our thoughts when we discuss this issue.”
