CHILDREN questioning their gender should be steered away from medical treatment, a landmark report warns.
Dr Hilary Cass’s four-year review also found “the rationale was unclear” for prescribing controversial puberty blockers.
Doctors should exercise extreme caution when giving children hormones of the opposite sex to help with their desire to transition, the leading paediatrician said.
Dr Cass was commissioned by ministers in 2020 to look into how the NHS should deal with the rapid rise in gender-questioning children.
She has warned the debate around trans issues has become toxic, leaving many healthcare professionals afraid to speak their minds.
One of Dr Cass’s key recommendations is for clinicians to screen children for conditions such as autism and assess their mental health to see whether medical treatment is really the best option.
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She said: “For most young people, a medical pathway will not be best to manage their gender-related distress.”
For those who are put on a course of treatment, medics must still address common mental health causes, including family breakdown and bullying.
The review found weak evidence that puberty blockers helped deal with gender dysphoria and said: “The rationale for early puberty suppression remains unclear.”
Last year, the NHS banned children from taking puberty blockers following a warning from Dr Cass.
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She also said the use of gender hormones by anyone under 18 “presents many unknowns”.
Dr Cass added that a “more cautious approach” must also be taken for prepubescent children.
Helen Joyce, from Sex Matters, said: “Hilary Cass’s report demolishes the entire basis for the current model of treating gender-distressed children.
“It is a shameful day for NHS England, which for too long gave vulnerable children harmful treatments for which there was no evidence.”
PM Rishi Sunak welcomed the review, saying: “We simply do not know the long term impacts of medical treatment or social transitioning.”
‘Convert’ ban is on
DOWNING Street has committed to banning conversion therapy.
Senior figures denied reports Rishi Sunak had axed a proposed law following pressure from Tory MPs.
The plans have been delayed since 2018.
But a spokesman said: “We have rightly taken time to carefully consider this complex issue and will shortly bring forward a draft bill. This remains our position.”
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Jack Elsom
