This was the central question that experts debated at a special CAN-SG webinar earlier this week (16th Sept) and their answer was a resounding ‘no’. They agreed that the government’s plan to run a clinical trial on children with gender distress to determine whether puberty blockers (PBs) are safe raises too many ethical and methodological problems […]
Category: Ethics
On May 1, the US Department of Health and Human Services released “Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria: Review of Evidence and Best Practices,” which was commissioned by a Trump administration Executive Order. This comprehensive review assesses current evidence on treating paediatric gender dysphoria, emphasizing the importance of compassionate, evidence-based care tailored to children’s and adolescents’ needs. It highlights the risks of paediatric medical transitions, questioning their benefits and critiquing the “gender-affirming” model of care used in the US. The review also discusses ethical considerations, advocating for psychotherapy as a safer alternative. It aims to inform policymakers, clinicians, and families amid growing international concern about paediatric medical transitions.
The National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) is funding the PATHWAYS trial on puberty blockers for children with gender incongruence, pending ethical approval. CAN-SG opposes the trial, citing serious ethical concerns, including unclear benefits and potential harms such as injury to fertility and cognitive development. The UK regulations mandate a trial only if its benefits outweigh its risks and emphasize the protection of vulnerable groups. CAN-SG argues that more research is needed on psychosocial interventions before considering puberty blockers, aligning with recommendations from the Cass Review. CAN-SG has written to the trialists, the oversight board and the regulators to express concerns, seeking proper ethical oversight.
This article by Dr David Bell and Dr Sinead Helyar examines concerns regarding a proposed clinical trial of puberty blockers (PBs) for children with gender dysphoria. It argues that a PB trial would pose unacceptable risks and contravene ethical standards. The authors advocate alternative avenues for research and safer treatment methods for this vulnerable group of children.
Recently released documentation of internal discussions between members of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, including authors of WPATH’s Standards of Care, reveal profound ignorance and lack of concern for the harms and lack of evidence for gender medical and surgical interventions, and a shocking disregard for medial ethics. The WPATH Files Leaked internal […]
James Esses, trainee psychotherapist, had taken UKCP to court for discrimination against him for expressing gender critical beliefs which led to him being expelled from his psychotherapy training course. (You can get more information about his case here.) Today Esses announced he had reached a settlement with UKCP and, although he was not able to reveal […]
Following recent case law, and the publication of the interim Cass Review report, the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) is today issuing a statement on the law regarding gender-critical views and its implications for the practice of psychotherapy and psychotherapeutic counselling. This statement is also being made to highlight the fact that exploratory therapy must not be […]
Against the weaponisation of youthful suffering An article by a child psychiatrist on the abuse of “suicide risk” in promoting medical intervention for children who identify as trans was recently published in The Critic. The author wrote: When a child identifies as trans, the spectre of suicide is frequently raised by campaigners — sometimes in […]
A recent review paper by Halasz and Amos in the journal Australasian Psychiatry, gives a history of the GIDS service at the Tavistock centre from its inception in 1989 to its closure in 2022 and compares “gender-affirming” and “comprehensive care” approaches. The term “gender-affirming care” refers to social, medical and surgical interventions that change the […]
Categories
Lessons from the wrong side of history
As a cautionary tale of what happens when we lose sight of ‘primum non nocere’ (first do no harm) as our guiding principle in medicine, the story of epilepsy surgery is exemplary.
Dear Editor, The Clinical Advisory Network on Sex and Gender (CAN-SG) (1), a group of UK and Ireland based clinicians calling for greater understanding of the effects of sex and gender in healthcare, welcomes Dr Hilary Cass’s interim report and recommendations (2). Serious concerns about the Tavistock Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) were raised by […]
The closure of the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) at the Tavistock has attracted significant public and media attention. Closure resulted from the Cass Review of children and young people’s gender services in England. The interim report recommended a new service model which acknowledges multiple routes in and out of gender dysphoria. Elevated rates of same-sex attraction, autism spectrum disorders, mental health issues, and looked […]
Informed consent is the bedrock of medical practice and indicates the explicit permission a patient gives for a specified medical intervention. Consent can only be granted following discussions about the anticipated consequences of the proposed treatment, potential risks and benefits, and the outcomes of alternative treatments including no treatment. The courts regard notions of consent […]