They got this one right!
Britain Bans Puberty Blockers
Since Justice Alito asked, here’s how the U.K. treats ‘trans’ kids.
By The Editorial Board, WSJ
Dec. 15, 2024 5:09 pm ET
The Supreme Court this month heard oral arguments in a case involving Tennessee’s ban on hormone treatments for children experiencing gender dysphoria. Some Justices probed how countries in Europe address this issue. So here’s an update: The United Kingdom last week permanently banned the use of puberty-blocking hormones for most people under the age of 18.
The decision extends a temporary ban imposed in May, and the National Health Service NHS) stopped prescribing the medications in most cases in March. Patients already using the drugs will be allowed to continue, but any new prescriptions will have to be in a formal research study, if one happens.
British skepticism is bipartisan. The original order was implemented by a Conservative Party administration and it’s being made permanent by the Labour Party government.
The issue came up in U.S. v. Skrmetti, in which the Biden Administration and American Civil Liberties Union are trying to block the Tennessee law on grounds that it’s discriminatory. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh and Sonia Sotomayor all asked lawyers about how European countries, and specifically the U.K., have approached the question. The answers from the Administration and ACLU weren’t clear.
In one pointed exchange, Justice Alito asked Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar if she’d stand by her original brief saying there’s “overwhelming evidence” to support this use of puberty-blockers and cross-sex hormones, in light of the subsequent release in Britain of the Cass Review finding such “evidence” thin on the ground. After some back-and-forth, Ms. Prelogar insisted, “the Cass report says at multiple points that this care can be medically indicated for some transgender adolescents.”
Not exactly. Dr. Hilary Cass, an eminent pediatrician, found minimal evidence that puberty blockers, followed by hormones of the opposite sex, improve the mental well-being of children experiencing gender dysphoria. She noted these drugs carry big risks when used in this way.
She recommended suspending prescription of puberty blockers except in the context of a well-designed trial. Her report suggests that prescribing cross-sex hormones for 16- and 17-year-olds should be rare, and the norm should be to wait until the patient turns 18.
Dr. Cass also recommended that treatment for gender dysphoria be holistic and focus first on addressing the complex emotional and psychological issues that affect most of these children at the same time, such as autism or past sexual abuse. This is the clinical approach the NHS is now rolling out.
A recent medical-malpractice lawsuit in California, and the word of a growing list of whistle blowers, suggest the British approach is far from standard in the U.S. As the Justices seemed to suggest this month, lawmakers in Tennessee are within their rights to insist their state’s children get the same quality of care that’s becoming standard in Britain.
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