Puberty Blockers Trial: Consent Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department of Health and Social Care
Baroness Cass
Main Page: Baroness Cass (Crossbench - Life peer)Department Debates - View all Baroness Cass's debates with the Department of Health and Social Care
Puberty Blockers Trial: Consent
Baroness Cass Excerpts(1 month, 1 week ago)
Lords ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Watch Debate Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Baroness Merron (Lab)
My noble friend is quite right about the use of these drugs. It is important to note that we banned their use indefinitely for gender dysphoria outside of research settings because of the immense concerns about safety. That ban has been in place since January 2025. She is also right that the issue will not go away. The right way to protect children, as I have said, is to act on clinical evidence and opinion, and to make that decision with a cool head. That is why, despite the difficulty of such a decision, the Secretary of State has made it. He is doing the best he can to protect children in this situation.
Baroness Merron (Lab)
Although I am keen to be helpful to the noble Baroness, my comments yesterday related to trials and insurance provisions. I do not know what research has been undertaken since then. I would be pleased to write to her; I cannot promise the detail she seeks, but I will seek to be helpful.
Baroness Cass (CB)
My Lords, I have spoken to my clinical colleagues about the issue of age at enrolment and they expect enrolment at 11 or 12 to be vanishingly rare. However, I ask noble Lords to consider the case of a child I will call Jo, who was a biological male socially transitioned at two and a half by his parents. At 11, she—I say this advisedly, because the chances of her reverting to her biological gender are vanishingly remote—has been in stealth and will not go to secondary school because she is so afraid of being outed in that environment. She is now refusing to come out of her room except very rarely and has weak bones, not as a result of puberty blockers but through inactivity. Should her subsequent treatment be decided by politicians or by the clinicians looking after her?
Baroness Merron (Lab)
The noble Baroness brings her expertise to the subject and I am grateful to her. This is not a political matter. As I have said, it must be driven by clinical evidence and focus on the safety of our young people. The example she gave is deeply disturbing and is a result of not taking action that is evidenced.