Exclusive: Stormont’s health minister Mike Nesbitt has suspended Northern Ireland’s participation in a UK-wide puberty blocker trial
Stormont’s health minister Mike Nesbitt has suspended Northern Ireland’s participation in a UK-wide puberty blocker trial – until a legal challenge to the UK-wide scheme has concluded, the News Letter can reveal.
The Ulster Unionist Party minister confirmed the major policy shift in a statement to this newspaper – just days after a review by Baroness Cass welcomed the work the Department of Health had undertaken so far to prepare for participation in the scheme.
New party leader Jon Burrows has previously publicly opposed medical or pharmaceutical interventions on children, but had also said Northern Ireland’s transgender services should be in line with the 2024 national Cass Review findings.
In a statement, Mr Nesbitt said: “Having taken account of the ongoing Judicial Review into the UK Government’s clinical trial of puberty blockers, I have decided to suspend Northern Ireland's agreement to participate in the UK wide trial until the legal process has concluded.
“Should the trial ultimately be given the green light to proceed, I shall take the views of Executive colleagues before any potential lifting of the pause.”
A review of Northern Ireland’s transgender service reported this week that the local health service is making “rigorous and demanding” changes to meet minister Nesbitt’s previous commitment to be part of the scheme.
It would have seen local children take part in tests to establish the effectiveness of the hormone-blockers on dealing with gender distress in children. The drugs block normal physical development, and their use has been backed by Sinn Fein, Alliance and the SDLP in the past – and described as “gender affirming care”.
A UK-wide review into gender medicine resulted in a ban on their routine prescription.