Executive unanimously backs health minister's plan to ban puberty blockers in Northern Ireland

The Ulster Unionist health minister Mike Nesbitt has brought the “indefinite” ban to the table – as he seeks to ensure Northern Ireland is kept in line with the rest of the UK, a move which has been backed by Sinn Fein, DUP and Alliance ministers.

It is understood that while Alliance had concerns about the ban, its ministers did not request a vote.

Naomi Long’s party was also however seeking a guarantee that children in Northern Ireland will be able to take part in clinical trials for the drugs.

There had been growing unease among some in Alliance about its stance on this issue, and the damage it may be doing to the party at the polls as the public increasingly question key aims of the trans lobby – particularly their demands for access to medical interventions for children and the ability of any man to self-identify as a woman.

The ban was proposed in response to a report by the Commission for Human Medicines.

In August, Mike Nesbitt’s bid to introduce an initial temporary ban on private sector puberty blockers in Northern Ireland was approved by the first and deputy first ministers through urgent procedure – and did not go to a full vote at the Executive.

The controversial drugs had been prescribed to some children who had attended gender identity clinics – but after a recent independent review led by paediatrician Hilary Cass, the NHS in England stopped their routine use.

Emergency legislation was then passed to deal with drugs being prescribed outside the health service and “avoid serious danger to health”.

Mike Nesbitt’s decision was an attempt to avoid the province becoming a “back door” route for the drugs through private sector suppliers – as had been suggested by some trans activists.

The move was ratified by the first and deputy first ministers alone rather than the full executive, meaning the Alliance Party did not have an opportunity to vote on the ban.

However, the News Letter understands that neither of the Alliance Party’s ministers registered any opposition to that move – despite fervent opposition from some of their elected representatives – such as the Lord Mayor of Belfast.

Puberty blockers pause the natural physical changes which happen to children during puberty – like breast development in girls or the growth of facial hair in boys, leaving their physical development suspended.

The Cass Review found that there was limited evidence about the drugs’ effectiveness in dealing with gender dysphoria – and potential risks to children’s neurocognitive development, psychosexual development and longer-term bone health.

Figures from Alliance as well as the SDLP and People Before Profit (PBP) have previously opposed the health minster’s initial ban.

PBP MLA Gerry Carroll claimed “puberty blockers are safe and in use around the world”.

The Alliance Lord Mayor of Belfast Micky Murray claimed Alliance “continue to support those in need of access to puberty blockers”.

But the Alliance Party centrally had stayed silent on the move – and when asked by the News Letter whether it supported the health minister’s position – the party did not respond.

Michelle O’Neill’s support for the temporary ban on puberty blockers had also surprised some Stormont insiders – and put her at odds with her own activists in Belfast and Dublin.