Letter: Giving puberty blockers on demand to unfortunate children is a complete failure of our duty to care
A letter from Dr Antony Latham:
Thank you for the article regarding the efforts of the new TUV MLA, Timothy Gaston, to get puberty blockers banned completely in Northern Ireland (Unionists urge trans drug ban, July 26).
Prescriptions for these medications can still be obtained privately.
The Cass review for NHS England showed clearly that puberty blockers have no place in the management of young people with gender dysphoria. We now know that they do not prevent depression or suicide. They almost always lead the child on to cross-sex hormones (oestrogen or testosterone). This pathway has many side effects including permanent infertility and loss of sexual function. Many, if put on this management, then have genital surgery and/or double mastectomy. Children do not have the capacity to consent to such damaging treatment.
We are only now seeing the consequences of this medicalisation, with increasing numbers of seriously damaged ‘de-transitioners’ who deeply regret what was decided for them in childhood.
Research clearly shows that the majority of children with gender dysphoria have underlying serious mental and social problems which pre-date the dysphoria. Giving puberty blockers on demand for such unfortunate children is a complete failure of our duty to care and not harm.
Dr Antony Latham, chair of Scottish Council on Human Bioethics