Labour MPs who oppose puberty blockers ban have ‘misunderstanding’ of medical proof, says Baroness Cass

Labour MPs who oppose a ban on puberty blockers have a ‘misunderstanding’ of medical evidence, Baroness Cass has claimed.

The paediatrician penned a landmark report into NHS gender identity services for children and young people earlier this year, which said there was not enough evidence to support the drug’s safety or effectiveness.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced an ‘indefinite’ ban the medication for under-18s with gender dysphoria on Wednesday.

Several Labour backbenchers and Green MPs criticised the move in Parliament, labelling it an attack on transgender children and a ‘breach of young people’s human rights’.

Baroness Cass, who took her seat in the House of Lords in October, told The Times: ‘What is worrying is when people say that if children don’t get these drugs, they will die, because clearly that’s not true.’

A licence to use puberty blockers in children who experience changes such as breast or facial hair growth before the age of eight due to a medical condition is unaffected by the Cass Review.

Labour’s Alex Sobel and Green MP Siân Berry suggested it was discriminatory to allow the drugs – called Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogues – to be used for children with early-onset puberty, but not for children with gender dysphoria.

However, Baroness Cass said this was ‘a misunderstanding… it’s not based on discrimination’.

She added: ‘It’s very different to use a drug to treat an abnormal, premature hormonal surge, as opposed to stopping the normal hormonal surges that happen during puberty.

‘There isn’t evidence that getting people onto puberty blockers is going to help with their dysphoria, their body image or their mood.’

Critics of the ban, including Labour MP Nadia Whittome have said it may have consequences for children’s mental health. 

But a UK study into puberty blockers found the drugs had no impact on mental health and did not improve instances of self harm or psychological distress. 

Activists have campaigned for Mr Streeting’s ban to be lifted. 

The Government said that it would ban puberty blockers indefinitely following official advice from medical experts. 

The Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) published expert advice that there is ‘currently an unacceptable safety risk in the continued prescription of puberty blockers to children’.

The commission recommended indefinite restrictions while work is done to ensure the safety of children and young people. 

Mr Streeting said there is a need to ‘act with caution’ and ‘follow the expert advice’ in caring for this ‘vulnerable group of young people’.

‘Children’s healthcare must always be evidence-led. The independent expert Commission on Human Medicines found that the current prescribing and care pathway for gender dysphoria and incongruence presents an unacceptable safety risk for children and young people,’ he said. 

‘Dr Cass’s review also raised safety concerns around the lack of evidence for these medical treatments. We need to act with caution and care when it comes to this vulnerable group of young people, and follow the expert advice.

‘We are working with NHS England to open new gender identity services, so people can access holistic health and wellbeing support they need.

‘We are setting up a clinical trial into the use of puberty blockers next year, to establish a clear evidence base for the use of this medicine.’