Latest news with #crosssexhormones
BBC News
21-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Cross-sex hormones for under 18s could be restricted or banned
Health Secretary Wes Streeting, is "actively reviewing" banning or restricting the private prescription of cross-sex hormones to young people, according to evidence given to the High lawyers say an expert panel will report in July on the use of this type of medication by under 18s wishing to change their gender. An application by campaigners for a full judicial review of the secretary of state's handling of the issue was rejected on Wednesday the application, Lady Justice Whipple said "the case had moved on substantially" as a result of the government setting up a review in April. The case calling for a full judicial review was brought after the NHS announced in December last year that under-18s would no longer be prescribed puberty blockers at gender identity argued that the prescription of cross-sex hormones should also be addressed and criticised the government's failure to Lady Justice Whipple said it was not "unreasonable or irrational" for the government to address the question of puberty blockers first and later come to cross-sex court in London was also told health officials are looking at "alternative legal mechanisms" to tackle issues around private and overseas providers who prescribe such hormones are given to people who identify as a gender that is different to their biological sex. The medication helps someone who is transitioning to develop characteristics associated with their preferred instance, it would help a trans man, a biological female who identifies as a man, develop a deeper voice and facial hair. Existing NHS guidance allows the hormones to be prescribed people aged 16 and differ from puberty blockers, which stop the onset of puberty by suppressing the release of NHS guidance allows the hormones to be prescribed to people aged 16 and case calling for a full judicial review was brought by Keira Bell and two others, who are remaining anonymous. They wanted a ban on the prescription of cross-sex hormones by non-NHS organisations, such as private clinics and overseas a teenager, Ms Bell was given cross-sex hormones after attending the now closed NHS Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) run by the Tavistock the time she identified as male, but says she deeply regrets the decision to take medication that altered her body to this afternoon's judgment she said: "I am relieved that the secretary of state is now actively considering a ban on cross-sex hormones outside of the NHS. "These powerful drugs should not be given to children and young people."Her barrister, Zoe Gannon, had argued that while the health secretary banned the private prescription of puberty suppressing drugs in gender cases involving under-18s, he had "failed or refused" to take the same action in relation to cross-sex hormones, and this was "irrational". Iain Steele, barrister for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), told the court Mr Streeting "is currently seeking clinical and expert advice from NHS England".He also said there were a wide range of medical uses for hormones, such as testosterone and oestrogen, which made decisions on whether to restrict or ban their use in different situations the judgment rejecting the application for a judicial review, Lady Justice Whipple, sitting with Mr Justice Johnson, said the secretary of state had acted said, "This is an immensely difficult and sensitive area of policy formation where there are strong and genuinely held views on each side of the debate and where there is no consensus."She added Mr Streeting was taking practical steps and was therefore entitled to more time to consider the continued that it was appropriate that there was an active review and that was to be welcomed. A Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson said children's healthcare "must always be led by evidence". "That is why this government is implementing the recommendations from the Cass Review and acted immediately to extend the puberty blockers ban and make it permanent."The government continues to work with the NHS to reform gender services to young people, the spokesperson added.
Telegraph
21-05-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Streeting considers banning cross-sex hormones for trans teenagers
Cross-sex hormones could be banned for transgender teenagers under proposals being considered by Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary. The Government has launched a review into the use of the hormones in under-18s to treat teenagers who want to change gender. Experts will analyse the available evidence and recommend a decision in July, officials said, raising the prospect that they could be outlawed in the UK in the same way as puberty blockers. The cross-sex drugs, also known as gender-affirming hormones, involve giving testosterone to someone born female to help change their physical appearance, and estrogen to those born male. They differ from puberty blockers, which have been banned indefinitely in the UK for treating gender dysphoria outside a clinical trial. Puberty blockers stop the onset of puberty by suppressing the release of hormones which are vital for physical and psychological development. The puberty blocker ban came as a result of the Cass Review, led by Baroness Hilary Cass, who found that treatment for gender dysphoria had 'been built on shaky foundations'. But campaigners have criticised the Government's failure to intervene on cross-sex hormones in children. NHS England responded to the review by Lady Cass, noting her recommendation that 'the new providers should be 'extremely cautious' when considering whether to refer young people under 18 years for consideration of hormone intervention'. The NHS's inaction on cross-sex hormones has led to at least two legal challenges, including a pretrial hearing on Wednesday led by Keira Bell, a former patient of the Tavistock clinic who received drugs and surgery to become a trans man but has since 'detransitioned'. In a High Court ruling delivered by Lady Justice Whipple, she said it would be 'premature' to take the case to court given that the Government was now considering a ban. She also rejected the Ms Bell's argument that it had been 'irrational' for Mr Streeting to look at puberty blockers first rather than both groups of drugs together, but noted 'the very serious issues which underpin this case ... and the claimant's motivation to prevent harm'. Ms Bell said she was 'relieved that the Secretary of State is now actively considering a ban on cross-sex hormones outside of the NHS' despite this being 'long overdue'. 'These powerful drugs should not be given to children and young people. Not only are the drugs life-changing at a time when so much is uncertain and changing, but so many children and young people are struggling with trauma and are experiencing confusion during their development,' she said. 'The safety of vulnerable children and young people should be a first priority. It now looks like that is beginning to happen.' A spokesman for Bayswater Support Group, one of the claimants, which supports families with transgender children, said they welcomed the commitment to scrutinise private providers prescribing the hormones, but added 'we must not forget the many children who have already been harmed by the failure to halt this practice as soon as the harms became evident'. They said it had been 'clear that banning puberty blockers alone would not be enough to protect children ', and they were 'supporting hundreds of families who have to live with the distress and trauma of being unable to protect their child from harm' because of the negligence of those who should be protecting patients against malpractice. 'We hope the Government, regulators and the Royal Colleges reflect on why it took vulnerable parents and victims of medical abuse to get the DHSC to act,' they added. Dr Alice Hodkinson, one of the founders of Biology in Medicine, a doctors' campaign group, said cross-sex drugs should not be prescribed to any young people 'given the negative effects on fertility as well as the developing body and brain'. 'Distressed young people should instead be directed to supportive, holistic talking therapies that help them to become comfortable with their body and sexuality, so they can grow up into healthy adults.' It comes after The Telegraph revealed last week that nursery-aged children could be allowed gender treatment after the NHS watered down its guidance. Gender clinics for children with gender dysphoria were set to be limited to those aged seven and over, but the age limit was removed following a consultation. New data revealed as many as nine children under five have been referred to a gender identity clinic, which require a referral from a paediatrician or mental health service with sufficient concern about the child questioning their gender. The NHS said it was complying with the Cass review's recommendation not to set an age limit, and that any care for children aged under seven would focus on family support and advice. The Labour Party is divided on both children's gender treatment and the Supreme Court's ruling on biological sex. While Mr Streeting has banned puberty blockers and pledged to ensure women-only spaces in NHS hospitals would not include trans women. Other Labour MPs have vocally opposed both of these decisions. A Department for Health spokesman said: 'Children's healthcare must always be led by evidence. That is why this Government is implementing the recommendations from the Cass review and acted immediately to extend the puberty blockers ban and make it permanent. 'We are continuing our work with the NHS to reform gender services to ensure young people receive timely, holistic care and support, while reviewing the use of cross-sex hormones in line with recommendation eight of the Cass review.'
National Post
19-05-2025
- Health
- National Post
Mia Hughes: Nova Scotia ignores growing evidence against youth gender affirming care
In recent years, a clear pattern has emerged in paediatric gender medicine: every country that has reviewed the evidence for interventions such as puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for adolescents has found it to be exceptionally weak, and responded by shifting towards cautious, psychotherapeutic care. In sharp contrast, Nova Scotia has just announced an expansion of its paediatric gender services to ensure that youth across the province can access these controversial medical treatments. Article content Article content Article content So, who is getting it right? The growing list of nations that have conducted years-long investigations into their gender clinics, commissioned gold-standard systematic reviews, and ultimately acted to protect children from unproven interventions? Article content Article content Or, is it Canadian provinces like Nova Scotia — which have done none of the above, allow ideology to guide public health policy, and continue to follow the increasingly discredited World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), an activist association posing as a medical authority, known for suppressing inconvenient evidence and letting politics shape its guidelines? Article content The evidence for the puberty suppression experiment has been shaky from the beginning, and the rationale highly questionable. Yet, it went largely unchallenged until 2020, when Finland became the first country to apply the brakes after a thorough review of the science. Sweden soon followed, then Norway, Denmark, and England. More recently, Brazil, Chile, Queensland, and Alberta have joined the retreat, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services just released the most scathing review to date. Article content Article content In short, every jurisdiction that has scrutinized this medical protocol has come to the same conclusion — there is no reliable proof of benefit, and the risks are too serious to allow the experiment to continue. Article content Article content For every Canadian province except Alberta to remain steadfastly committed to this treatment model as the dominos fall globally requires an extraordinary level of willful blindness. This is evident in our federal government's ongoing failure to commission an independent review of our paediatric gender clinics, and in our provincial health authorities, which continue to trust WPATH despite a deluge of revelations in recent years that the group has abandoned scientific rigour, evidence-based practice, and the Hippocratic Oath. Article content Equally troubling is that most of Canada's top media outlets choose to ignore this scandal, instead acting as mouthpieces regurgitating activist misinformation. The CBC's coverage of Nova Scotia's announcement is a case in point. Written by a trans-identified reporter, Andrew Lam, the article parrots outdated ideological talking points — such as the long-debunked claim that puberty blockers are fully reversible — as if it was settled science. The piece contains no mention of the international pivot away from this medical approach. This kind of reporting helps to create the conditions for policy decisions like the coming expansion of services in Nova Scotia.
Fox News
07-05-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Undercover investigation: Planned Parenthood prescribing hormones to minors with minimal oversight
FIRST ON FOX: Undercover phone calls released today by pro-life activist group Live Action reveal that Planned Parenthood clinics across several states offer cross-sex hormonal treatments to minors as young as 16 with very little parental or medical supervision. The group is now calling on Congress to defund Planned Parenthood of hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funding. Live Action conducted an undercover investigation in which a woman posing as a 16-year-old minor called dozens of Planned Parenthood locations seeking "gender-affirming care." At least seven facilities told her they would prescribe cross-sex hormones at the first appointment. In several instances, Planned Parenthood assured the caller that she could choose to meet with a provider virtually and have access to cross-sex hormones as quickly as the same day, despite the person posing as a minor saying they had just begun considering changing her sex. Facilities in Minnesota and Oregon stated they could schedule the minor within days or on the same day. Five facilities stated that no prior therapy, mental health clearance or prior documentation was needed for her to obtain cross-sex hormones. 'GENDER-AFFIRMING' TREATMENTS DON'T BENEFIT YOUTH, SAYS PEDIATRICIANS GROUP: 'IRREVERSIBLE CONSEQUENCES' In addition to being the country's largest abortion business, Planned Parenthood is also one of the leading distributors of sex-change drugs. Cross-sex hormonal treatments, such as taking either testosterone or estrogen, are meant to alter the body to exhibit characteristics to conform with a person's "gender identity." Besides altering the natural makeup and functions of the body, cross-sex hormonal treatments can result in several harmful side effects, including permanent infertility. Live Action President Lila Rose told Fox News Digital that the investigation exposes "a chilling reality" that "Planned Parenthood is fast-tracking vulnerable children into irreversible hormone treatments with almost no medical oversight." "These dangerous drugs can sterilize, stunt growth and leave lifelong scars. This is not healthcare. It is child abuse, and it must be stopped," she said. PLANNED PARENTHOOD UNDER INVESTIGATION BY JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OVER SALE OF FETAL TISSUE Live Action is calling on Congress to defund Planned Parenthood of all tax-dollar funding it receives from the federal government. "Planned Parenthood receives more than $700 million in taxpayer dollars every year. That is a catastrophe, and it must end," said Rose. "It's time for Congress and the president to act and defund this abusive corporation of the $700 million they receive from taxpayers every year." This comes shortly after Fox News Digital reported that House Republicans are discussing measures that could potentially end federal funding of groups like Planned Parenthood as cost savings in their multitrillion-dollar bill advancing President Donald Trump 's agenda. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Two sources close to the House Energy and Commerce Committee told Fox News Digital that the move was being floated as lawmakers look to find at least $1.5 trillion in spending cuts to offset the cost of Trump's tax priorities. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said last week that Republicans would target "big abortion" in the budget reconciliation process . Planned Parenthood did not immediately respond for comment. Fox News Digital's Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
