Dear Lucy Powell,
I write as Manchester’s first openly transgender councillor, on behalf of the below trans people, allies and organisations which represent the trans community in Manchester Central.
The news today that Labour health secretary, Wes Streeting, is to introduce a permanent ban on the prescription of GnRH agonists (so-called “puberty blockers”) on under-18s is profoundly distressing to the trans community. For those affected, it appears to be an ideologically driven act of cruelty from the Labour government towards a victimised minority.
Puberty blockers have been used as part of treating gender incongruence in children and adults since the late 1980s and their safety profile is well established. In transgender youth, the principle of using them to avoid irreversible changes by going through the wrong gender puberty is well established. The regret rate for those who receive this treatment is also astonishingly low. Puberty blockers, before the temporary bans were introduced and then extended, were also prescribed in very low numbers compared to the amount of children being treated for, and awaiting treatment for, gender dysphoria.
The Cass Review, commissioned under the Conservative government, raised concerns around the efficacy of puberty blockers in giving children suffering from gender incongruence “time to think” before committing to a medical transition, and recommended a study to determine this. You may be under the impression that the Cass Review raised safety concerns around the use of puberty blockers, but this is down to misreporting and a narrative driven around transphobia. The Cass Review acknowledged well-known risks, but instead focussed on questioning if the benefits of the treatment outweighed those risks. International studies, including those commissioned following the Cass Review, have come to opposing opinions than that of Hilary Cass.
Concerningly, the ban introduced by Labour goes considerably further than the recommendations of the Cass Review. Instead of just focussing on the use of puberty blockers in giving “time to think” for questioning children, the blanket ban will also prohibit any child who has had “time to think” and wishes to start a medical transition from accessing blockers as part of a standard HRT prescription. It also affects non-NHS treatment, a route used by many as a result of insurmountable waiting lists in the NHS, without an option even for a trial.
A huge concern also comes with the blanket age ban of under-18. This fundamentally undermines the important principle of Gillick competence, previously only up to age 16, for a competent child to be able to make their own healthcare decisions.
It is our strong belief that the UK government should instead be tackling NHS waiting lists, including in transgender care, rather than using their positions of authority to remove well-established and cost-effective treatment paths.
The decision of what the best medical intervention is for gender incongruence should be based on the individual needs of that patient, and one made between the patient, their doctor, and where appropriate, their parents. It is not one to be made in Whitehall by politicians.
I urge you to address the cruel actions of your cabinet colleague, and show allyship to the trans community by speaking out against this ban, and lobbying to bring back science-based and patient-centred decision making to transgender healthcare decisions on the NHS.
Yours sincerely,
Cllr Chris Northwood
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