On Thursday night, Mrs. Truss said she would? review the use of puberty blockers when she reached Downing Street.
“I strongly believe that adults should have the freedom to live their lives as they see fit, but it is very important that while young people are still developing their decision-making abilities, we protect them from harm in the long run. term,” she said. .
“We have a responsibility to people under 18 to protect them from irreversible decisions that will affect them for the rest of their lives. As Prime Minister, I would review access to puberty blockers to ensure we maintain the right checks and balances in the system to protect our young people.”
Mr Sunak’s team said the former chancellor did not believe that children “should be rushed into irreversible medical paths” and felt that they should be “protected from life-changing treatments”.
They added that he was concerned that clinicians had warned about the dangers of drugs that block puberty.
The spokesman for Mr Sunak said: “Rishi believes that all children who have doubts about their gender should be given the time, space and appropriate support to reflect on their feelings. Children should not be rushed into irreversible medical paths and under the age of 18 should be protected from life-changing treatments.
“Also, the NHS urgently needs to reassess how it cares for children with gender dysphoria, including examining the outcomes of different treatment models, to ensure they receive the best possible care.”
Puberty blockers suppress hormones, which are said to interrupt the development of sex-based characteristics such as breasts in a child.
More than 1,000 young people were referred to the endocrinology services for puberty blockers by the Tavistock Gender Identity Development Clinic.
Sources said the number would be higher if services had not been interrupted by the Covid pandemic. Before the shutdowns, clinicians estimated that about 40 percent of their referrals were referred for puberty blockers.
More than 20,000 young people have been referred since 2009 to the Tavistock. Referrals have risen sharply in recent years, reaching more than 5,000 in 2021-22 compared to 250 a decade earlier. Many of those referred in recent years are still on a waiting list.
The decision to close the Tavistock came after almost two decades of worry about the treatment in the only clinic for transgender children were brought together in an interim report.
Fear was awakened that doctors “Were pressured to take an unquestionably positive approach” to gender identity, in violation of the clinical assessment process because it ignores a child’s other medical or mental health issues.
Commenting on the center’s closure, Mr Sunak said: “This review has shed light on some very serious issues. As a father of two, I know there is tremendous pressure on young people, and I am instinctively cautious of children undergoing life-changing treatments.
“When clinicians are raising concerns and young people come forward saying they felt rushed to be treated, we need to listen.”
In a letter to NHS England published on Wednesday, Dr. Cass called for the creation of regional centers with a “multi-professional workforce to enable them to manage the holistic needs of this population”.