Chief Medical Officer told ministers puberty blocker ban 'essential to avoid serious health implications'

Experts have consistently raised concerns about the evidence base for use of the drugs – which stop normal sexual and hormonal development – in dealing with gender dysphoria in children.

The condition, which involves a mismatch between someone’s perception of themselves and their biological sex, has increasingly been treated with chemical and physical interventions in recent years.

These procedures – which include puberty blockers, cross sex hormones, mastectomies and castrations – have been euphemistically called ‘gender affirming care’ by LGBTQ+ lobby groups and many politicians. They involve attempts to make a person’s body more closely resemble that of the sex they identify with.

However, concerns about the effectiveness and safety of puberty blockers have been highlighted in the Cass Review by NHS England and an independent report by the UK Commission on Human Medicines.

The Department of Health has now released advice from the Chief Medical Officer to Executive ministers supporting a ban on the use of the controversial hormone blockers on children – after the Executive Office refused to release it last month.

A spokesperson said the evidence that informed the Health Minister’s recommendations to the Executive “is a matter of public record”. The health official added: “In addition, NI’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sir Michael McBride, provided written advice for the Executive Office in August 2024” – and said claims that the evidence supporting the move hadn’t been published was “entirely inaccurate”.

Sir Michael McBride’s told ministers he supported the ban “given the current very low-quality evidence of the impact of these medications and the potential for harm”.

He pointed to the findings of the Cass Review, saying it “sets out recommendations for an approach to healthcare delivery in this area that is more closely aligned with usual NHS clinical practice that considers the young person holistically and not solely in terms of gender-related distress.

“It is essential that children and young people living in NI including their parents and carers who are questioning their gender identity or experiencing gender dysphoria continue to receive a high standard of care that meets their needs, and that is safe, holistic, and effective, informed by the Review’s recommendations”.