Private clinicians banned from giving puberty blockers to kids

Private clinics have been prohibited from prescribing puberty blockers to gender-confused young people in Great Britain.

Until 3 September, new patients under 18 years old will no longer be able to obtain the experimental drugs via private prescriptions from the UK or Europe. In addition, NHS England now has indefinite restrictions on the drugs in line with its guidelines.

Emergency legislation was introduced before last week’s dissolution of Parliament, following April’s Cass Review of gender services in England.

‘Panacea’

Women’s Right Network welcomed the measures, saying: “This will protect so many children from horrendous and irreversible consequences. No child is ‘born in the wrong body’.”

Helen Joyce, Director of Advocacy for women’s group Sex Matters, added: “The next government must also rein in the private sale of cross-sex hormones to teenagers and young adults, particularly in light of mounting evidence of harmful side effects.

“Otherwise unregulated online clinics will continue to profit from desperate youngsters, who have been misled by trans lobbyists into thinking of these drugs as a panacea.”

GenderGP

One of the clinics affected is the notorious GenderGP clinic based in Singapore.

The ban will prevent the clinic from continuing to circumvent UK regulations by issuing prescriptions via Europe.

Founder Helen Webberley moved the business overseas, after she was suspended by the General Medical Council and found guilty of running her illegal online clinic from her home in Wales.

‘Dangerous’

GenderGP has recently been accused of issuing a “dangerously high” dose of cross-sex hormones to a 15-year-old girl with autism.

In a court hearing over the child’s access to the drugs, expert witness Dr Jacqueline Hewitt said she had never seen such a “massive” dose given to a child in her 20 years of practice.

Judge Sir Andrew McFarlane found that GenderGP did not consult a doctor before issuing cross-sex hormones, and urged other courts to proceed with “extreme caution” before approving its practices.