Continued thread
#AntiTrans #Extremist Dr. #HilaryCass accuses #critics of “#shroudwaving” over highlighting #trans #youth #harm.
In an #interview published in Saturday’s #Times and the #DailyFail, #HilaryCass has also hit out at #MPs who dared #criticise her #fraud of a #report.
![MPs misunderstand evidence, says Cass Eleanor Hayward - Health Editor Baroness Cass said there was no evidence puberty blockers improved mental health Labour MPs who oppose the ban on puberty blockers have a “misunderstanding” of medical evidence, Baroness Cass has said. On Wednesday Wes Streeting, the health secretary, announced an indefinite ban on puberty blockers for children wanting to change gender because they pose an “unacceptable safety risk”. Several backbench Labour and Green Party MPs criticised the move in a Commons debate, saying it was an attack on transgender children that amounted to a “breach of young people’s human rights”. Cass, who wrote a landmark report on the treatment of children with gender dysphoria, said a lot of “misinformation” was being spread. This included a claim that denying access to puberty blockers could lead to suicides, when evidence has suggested that the drugs do not improve mental health. She said: “What is worrying is when people say that if children don’t get these drugs, they will die, because clearly that’s not true.” It was “irresponsible for people to shroud-wave in that way”. Puberty blockers are drugs which suppress the release of sex hormones to halt the physical changes of puberty such as the growth of breasts or facial hair, which typically occur between 8 and 14. The drugs are licensed for use in young children with precocious puberty, a condition in which these changes start before the age of eight. Since 2011 they have also been widely used “off-label” in the treatment of children at the gender identity clinic at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust. Under the terms of the indefinite ban, the drugs — a type of medication called Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogues — will still be prescribed for the conditions they are licensed for, including early puberty and some cancer treatment. Politicians including Alex Sobel, the Labour MP, and Siân Berry, the Green Party MP, suggested it was discriminatory to allow the drugs to be used for children with early-onset puberty but not for children questioning their gender identity. Cass, who took her seat in the House of Lords in October, said this was “a misunderstanding … it’s not based on discrimination. It’s based on science and certainty about safety and effectiveness”. She said there was a “very long track record of safety” in using the drugs for early puberty, and had been licensed for that reason, but were not approved for gender dysphoria. “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,” she said. Cass, a former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, led a review of care for children with gender dysphoria which warned that puberty blockers may harm brain development, bone density, fertility and development of sexual function. Critics of the ban, including Nadia Whittome, the Labour MP, have said that it could have grave consequences for children’s mental health. However, the only UK study into puberty blockers, published in the journal Plos One, found that the drugs did not improve mental health, or alleviate psychological distress or self-harm. Cass said: “The evidence has not supported the idea that getting on to puberty blockers improves mental health. People used to say, [when arguing for puberty blockers] ‘Do you want a dead son or a live daughter?’ There isn’t evidence that getting people onto puberty blockers is going to help with their dysphoria, body image or their mood.” She said there were other, effective ways to support mental health including talking therapies. The NHS is also extending an offer of targeted mental health support to young people affected by the puberty blocker ban. Cass added: “We want to bring these young people into the NHS. It’s important that if they’re just in a state of distress, they shouldn’t struggle by themselves.” Cass said the “single biggest piece of misinformation” is that puberty blockers can provide a one-size-fits-all solution to children in distress about their gender, who instead need holistic and multidisciplinary support. “That’s the biggest misunderstanding, that this is one group of young people that all need the same answer.” While puberty blockers were banned on the NHS in March, they will be available at some NHS clinics next year as part of a clinical trial. However, private clinics, including those such as GenderGP who issue prescriptions from overseas, will be banned from prescribing the drugs. Cass said this was essential because puberty blockers should only be given after comprehensive assessments, with support and monitoring in place.](https://media.mathstodon.xyz/cache/preview_cards/images/021/149/555/original/873fe039734422ee.png "MPs misunderstand evidence, says Cass Eleanor Hayward - Health Editor Baroness Cass said there was no evidence puberty blockers improved mental health Labour MPs who oppose the ban on puberty blockers have a “misunderstanding” of medical evidence, Baroness Cass has said. On Wednesday Wes Streeting, the health secretary, announced an indefinite ban on puberty blockers for children wanting to change gender because they pose an “unacceptable safety risk”. Several backbench Labour and Green Party MPs criticised the move in a Commons debate, saying it was an attack on transgender children that amounted to a “breach of young people’s human rights”. Cass, who wrote a landmark report on the treatment of children with gender dysphoria, said a lot of “misinformation” was being spread. This included a claim that denying access to puberty blockers could lead to suicides, when evidence has suggested that the drugs do not improve mental health. She said: “What is worrying is when people say that if children don’t get these drugs, they will die, because clearly that’s not true.” It was “irresponsible for people to shroud-wave in that way”. Puberty blockers are drugs which suppress the release of sex hormones to halt the physical changes of puberty such as the growth of breasts or facial hair, which typically occur between 8 and 14. The drugs are licensed for use in young children with precocious puberty, a condition in which these changes start before the age of eight. Since 2011 they have also been widely used “off-label” in the treatment of children at the gender identity clinic at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust. Under the terms of the indefinite ban, the drugs — a type of medication called Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogues — will still be prescribed for the conditions they are licensed for, including early puberty and some cancer treatment. Politicians including Alex Sobel, the Labour MP, and Siân Berry, the Green Party MP, suggested it was discriminatory to allow the drugs to be used for children with early-onset puberty but not for children questioning their gender identity. Cass, who took her seat in the House of Lords in October, said this was “a misunderstanding … it’s not based on discrimination. It’s based on science and certainty about safety and effectiveness”. She said there was a “very long track record of safety” in using the drugs for early puberty, and had been licensed for that reason, but were not approved for gender dysphoria. “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,” she said. Cass, a former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, led a review of care for children with gender dysphoria which warned that puberty blockers may harm brain development, bone density, fertility and development of sexual function. Critics of the ban, including Nadia Whittome, the Labour MP, have said that it could have grave consequences for children’s mental health. However, the only UK study into puberty blockers, published in the journal Plos One, found that the drugs did not improve mental health, or alleviate psychological distress or self-harm. Cass said: “The evidence has not supported the idea that getting on to puberty blockers improves mental health. People used to say, [when arguing for puberty blockers] ‘Do you want a dead son or a live daughter?’ There isn’t evidence that getting people onto puberty blockers is going to help with their dysphoria, body image or their mood.” She said there were other, effective ways to support mental health including talking therapies. The NHS is also extending an offer of targeted mental health support to young people affected by the puberty blocker ban. Cass added: “We want to bring these young people into the NHS. It’s important that if they’re just in a state of distress, they shouldn’t struggle by themselves.” Cass said the “single biggest piece of misinformation” is that puberty blockers can provide a one-size-fits-all solution to children in distress about their gender, who instead need holistic and multidisciplinary support. “That’s the biggest misunderstanding, that this is one group of young people that all need the same answer.” While puberty blockers were banned on the NHS in March, they will be available at some NHS clinics next year as part of a clinical trial. However, private clinics, including those such as GenderGP who issue prescriptions from overseas, will be banned from prescribing the drugs. Cass said this was essential because puberty blockers should only be given after comprehensive assessments, with support and monitoring in place.")
Trans WritesHilary Cass accuses critics of “shroud-waving” over trans youth harm - Trans WritesHilary Cass brands critics of her report on trans kids as "shroud-wavers," while MPs and activists expose the flaws in her claims and their dangerous implications.
