According to a report released on Wednesday from a top doctor in England, children who question their female identity are being let down by the lack of information and a dangerous political debate.
There is” no compelling evidence on the long-term effects of interventions to manage gender-related distress,” according to Dr. Cass, and young people have been sucked into a” stormy social discourse” about the subject.
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Cass, a retired medical physician appointed to lead a review of gender service for young individuals by the state-funded National Health Service, said that philosophy on all sides has directed attention rather than attention being directed by accepted standards of pediatrics and mental health.
Children and young people with gender dysphoria no longer receive prescriptions for the hormone puberty-blocking medication in England’s public health system on April 1. Following recommendations in Cass ‘ earlier interim report, which stated there was not enough evidence to support the blockers ‘ potential benefits and harms, which help prevent people from developing physical characteristics that are not in line with their gender identity, such as beards or breasts.
Some transgender campaigners criticized the decision, which is not a complete ban on puberty blockers, and it is being closely watched in the US. Major U.S. medical associations support transgender medical care for minors, but several Republican-led states have outlawed puberty blockers and other forms of treatment for transgender youth and, in some cases, adults.
Cass ‘ report, which runs to almost 400 pages, said that” for most young people, a medical pathway” is not the best way to deal with gender- related issues.
Cass argued that a “holistic assessment” should be conducted for young people who question their gender identity, including a mental health assessment and a screening for neurodevelopmental disorders like autism.
She urged “extreme caution” when giving people under 18 masculinizing or feminizing hormones, such as testosterone or estrogen, to children or teenagers.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak welcomed the review’s recommendation of caution.
We should exercise extreme caution because we simply do not know the long-term effects of medical treatment or social transitioning on them, he said.
The Conservative government, according to Sunak’s critics, has accused it of using gender identity as a” culture war” electoral strategy. The government recently issued education guidelines for schools that stated that teachers should n’t be asked to address pupils with their preferred pronouns.
Cass claimed in her report that there was” no clear evidence” that social transition in childhood, such as changing names or pronouns, had any beneficial or detrimental effects on mental health.
There is no simple explanation for why the number of young people who identify as transgender has increased in recent years in the U.K. and other countries, according to the report.
” There is broad agreement that it is a result of a complex interplay between biological, psychological and social factors”, the report said. ” This balance of factors will be different in each individual”.
Many of the recommendations in the report” could make a positive impact,” according to the LGBTQ rights organization Stonewall.
Others could create new barriers that prevent children and young people from receiving the care they need and deserve, according to the group’s director of campaigns and human rights, Robbie de Santos.
