UK will not provide puberty blockers to minors

England's National Health Service confirmed that it will no longer prescribe puberty blockers to minors at gender clinics. The decision was described by the government as historic and was made for the welfare of children.

"It follows a public consultation, an interim policy and an independent review of gender identity services for under 18s, commissioned by NHS England in 2020," reported The Times, which confirmed the information.

Similarly, it emerged that puberty blockers, which stop physical changes such as breast development and facial hair growth, will only be available to children as part of clinical research trials.

Health Minister Maria Caulfield pointed out that the decision will allow care for minors to be based on scientific evidence. "Ending the routine prescription of puberty blockers will help ensure that care is based on evidence, expert clinical opinion and is in the best interests of the child," she said in a statement reported by The Independent.

The consequences of gender transitions

The information became known as gender transitions have come under scrutiny for the serious consequences they have on the health of people who undergo them, according to a report published last week that included leaked internal conversations from members of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) who participated in different chats and panels.

In these conversations, doctors acknowledged the health problems that patients face after undergoing gender reassignment surgery or receiving hormone treatments. The report detailed that "members frequently discuss improvising treatments as they go along. Members are fully aware that children and adolescents cannot comprehend the lifelong consequences of 'gender-affirming care,' and in some cases, due to poor health literacy, neither can their parents."