'Guinea pig' warning as health minister says Northern Irish children will have access to UK puberty blocker trials
Children in Northern Ireland will have “equitable access” to clinical trials on puberty blockers, the health minister has announced, as part of UK-wide research on the controversial drugs – which have otherwise been banned.
Mike Nesbitt also says that despite a very challenging financial situation, the NI Department of Health will “prioritise the development” of gender identity services.
In recent years, there has been a surge in the number of children questioning their gender – many of whom have been given controversial drugs by the NHS to stop the onset of puberty.
DUP MLA Jonathan Buckley has welcomed the Executive’s decision to ban the drugs as “a vital and overdue step in protecting children from harmful and experimental treatments”.
However, he has criticised the decision to proceed with medical trials – which were recommended in the Cass Review into transgender services for children.
On Tuesday, all Executive ministers – including from the DUP – approved the health minister’s proposals, which included drugs trials.
Posting on X on Tuesday night, deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said ministers had “agreed to permanently ban puberty blockers for under-18s”.
She added: “This is the right approach, informed by medical and scientific advice. The protection and safety of our young people must be paramount”.
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.
LGBTQ+ activists have made repeated claims that without the drugs, children will die. However, the Cass Review said that despite suggestions hormone treatment “reduces the elevated risk of death by suicide in this population… the evidence found did not support this conclusion”.
The Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) has provided independent expert advice that there is currently an unacceptable safety risk in the continued prescription of puberty blockers to children. It recommends indefinite restrictions while work is done to ensure the safety of children and young people.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting has said the NHS in England is “setting up a clinical trial into the use of puberty blockers next year, to establish a clear evidence base for the use of this medicine”.
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt says children in Northern Ireland “will have equitable access to these clinical trials”.
But Upper Bann MLA Mr Buckley said the drugs “are not only unproven but also carry significant risks, with potentially irreversible consequences for young, vulnerable individuals. Allowing their use on children is both reckless and dangerous”.
He said children would be used as “guinea pigs” for a treatment already flagged by the Cass Review for its “unknown long-term health implications”.
He said no responsible society, never mind legislators, should tolerate such risks being imposed on children.
“We must stop treating children as test subjects for ideological experiments. Puberty blockers are dangerous, unnecessary, and fail to address the underlying issues many young people face. Instead, we need to focus on evidence-based, ethical solutions that prioritise their physical and mental well-being”, the DUP MLA said.
The Cass review says the puberty blocker trial which it recommended “should be part of a programme of research which also evaluates outcomes of psychosocial interventions and masculinising/feminising hormones.
“Consent should routinely be sought for all children and young people for enrolment in a research study with follow-up into adulthood”.
This review has been started by NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Research.
It means that GPs cannot prescribe puberty blockers, unless they are working on the clinical trials.
In a statement to the Northern Ireland Assembly, health minister Mike Nesbitt said “Following recommendations from the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM), it is now intended that we will replace the UK’s existing temporary restrictions with an indefinite ban, subject to review in 2027.
“NHS clinical trials will be undertaken to determine the safety and effectiveness of the ‘puberty blocker’ drugs. Children and young people in Northern Ireland will have equitable access to these clinical trials. The analysis of the findings from these clinical trials will inform the long-term policy position and inform future decisions.
“I am committed to improving wider gender identity service provision for children, young people and adults in NI. This will require investment in gender identity services through a business case which is currently being considered. Despite the very challenging financial position facing my Department I have advised officials that I will prioritise the development of this service to ensure the appropriate advice and support is available to individuals and their families”.