The UK government has banned private gender clinics from prescribing puberty blockers to under-18s, in a move which campaigners say will close a loophole for access to the drugs. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) announced on Wednesday that it would put a three-month emergency ban on supplying puberty-suppressing hormones to gender-confused children in England, Wales, and Scotland. It will apply to prescriptions written by prescribers in the UK and those registered in the European Economic Area and Switzerland.
The ban, taking affect on June 3 until Sept. 3, was made “to address risks to public safety,” the DHSC said. “Indefinite restrictions” have also been put in place on the prescription of these drugs within the National Health Service (NHS), the UK’s publicly-funded health care system.
The NHS has already stopped the routine prescription of puberty blockers. Among her recommendations, Dr. Hilary Cass called for a “holistic” approach to treating gender dysphoria, in a move away from the prevalent “gender-affirming” approach which saw health care professionals simply affirming a child’s chosen gender and prescribing them puberty blockers and then cross-sex hormones and putting them on the path to surgical interventions.
Stephanie Davies-Arai, director of Transgender Trend, welcomed the government’s announcement, telling The Epoch Times it will “close that loophole for puberty blockers.” Ms. Davies-Arai said that banning puberty block.
