Puberty blockers: SNP's shameful silence

SNP ministers faced growing pressure to clarify their position on puberty blockers yesterday amid demands to follow England in banning them.

It follows a bombshell report by an eminent doctor which found gender identity services have been based on ‘remarkably weak evidence’.

One of the most controversial aspects, prescription for puberty-blocking drugs, is banned as routine treatment for ­children with gender dysphoria south of the Border but not in Scotland.

Demand is now growing for an immediate halt on puberty blockers following the publication of the Cass review.

Scottish Conservative deputy leader Meghan Gallacher asked for a ministerial statement, saying youngsters and their families ‘deserve clarity’.

The report by paediatrician Dr Hilary Cass was commissioned for NHS ­England but services are run similarly in Scotland.

Ms Gallacher asked George Adam, minister for parliamentary business, for a statement on Scotland’s position, given the mounting concerns. Yesterday she said the request has been rejected.

Several high-profile politicians have urged the Scottish Government to suspend the use of puberty blockers and hormones after the Cass review found ‘unclear’ evidence into the treatment. The Scottish Government says it is up to doctors, not policy makers, to decide which medicine to prescribe.

Ms Gallacher said: ‘It’s extremely disappointing that the SNP Government are so reluctant to explain or defend their position.

‘Ministers mistakenly rushed into ­significant gender reforms, ignoring the wellbeing of children, and have continued to allow the use of puberty blockers in Scotland despite a concerning lack of evidence around their efficacy.

‘It is not good enough that the SNP have rejected our request for a ministerial statement.’

She added: ‘Vulnerable young Scots and their ­families deserve clarity on this serious issue. Ministers must heed the ­recommendations of the Cass Review and in the meantime, at the very least, immediately pause the use of puberty blockers.’

Former SNP minister turned Alba MSP Ash Regan is the latest politician to have urged the Scottish Government to enact the recommendations of the Cass Review in Scotland.

Ms Regan has joined Nationalist MP Joanna Cherry and Ms Gallacher in calling for the Scottish Government to review access to puberty blockers.

In a letter to the First Minister, Ms Regan said: ‘If you agree with me that the health and wellbeing of all Scottish children deserve this Government’s utmost care and attention, then I call on you to suspend the use of puberty blockers.

‘Families and our public bodies need a clear statement from your Government on an interim pause on the affirmation model, gender promotion for children and the medicalisation of gender-questioning children.’

Puberty blockers are prescribed to children as young as nine by paediatric endocrinologists at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow, after being referred by the national youth gender clinic at the Sandyford unit.

Scotland has seen a rapid rise in the number of young people ­questioning their identity or experiencing gender dysphoria.

The Scottish Government has said it is considering the findings of the Cass review.

A spokesman said: ‘It is the ­clinician who oversees the ­individual’s care who makes the decision on whether to prescribe a puberty blocker.’