U.K. Looking to Ban Private HRT for Trans Kids

The United Kingdom is considering banning private hormone replacement therapy (HRT) prescriptions for trans kids less than a year after banning puberty blockers, according to Them. Wes Streeting, health secretary, looks to ban the prescription of HRT by private healthcare providers and clinics to patients under the age of 18.

The current National Health Service (NHS) guidelines allow HRT to be prescribed to patients 16 and older. Government lawyers stated that an alleged expert panel will issue their own report on HRT in July, according to BBC. The ban on private HRT prescriptions would apply to outside of the NHS.

Dr. Aidan Kelly, a consultant clinical psychologist and the director of Gender Plus Hormone Clinic, told Pink News that the U.K. expanding its ban on trans healthcare could create a “lost generation” of trans people. Dr. Kelly goes on to say that neither the government nor NHS contacted any private trans healthcare provider in the British Association for Gender Identity Specialists (BAGIS) about the “expert” report. 

“It’s worrying that there’s no knowledge within the different (non-government organizations) that exist to support trans young people,” Aiden says. “It begs the question, well, have they even been consulted or involved in the process at all?”

Youth healthcare “must always be led by evidence,” says a Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson according to BBC. “That is why this government is implementing the recommendations from the Cass Review and acted immediately to extend the puberty blockers ban and make it permanent.”

The Cass Review is a U.K. analysis of research into gender-affirming care headed by Dr. Hilary Cass, a pediatrician with no prior experience in trans medicine. Published last year, the analysis is heavily contested as it argues for “exploratory” therapy to “alleviate (trans’ folks) distress” instead of using puberty blockers or HRT.

A peer-reviewed analysis of the report states that “Considering (these flaws) and the Cass report’s poor understanding of transgender identities and experiences, it is vital to question the integrity and validity of the Review’s recommendations and the appropriateness of basing health policy on them.” The peer reviewers go on to say, “To uphold its commitment to evidence-based medicine, future gender-affirming care research must generate robust observational data, involve transgender communities, and prioritize patient-centered outcomes.”

Involving the trans community and families in these decisions is crucial. Dr. Kelly says, “The decision to treat is always a sensitive and complex one. So it should remain one that is made between the young person, their family, and their clinical team. There is no basis for the government to be involved in that decision.”

Photos courtesy social media and DEPO