Joint Statement on the Labour Government's ban on Puberty Blockers for under 18's

A joint statement from LGBT+ Liberal Democrats, Out for Independence (SNP), LGBTIQA+ Greens and Rainbow Greens on the Labour Government's ban on Puberty Blockers for under 18's.

The decision to ban puberty blockers across the UK, by the Westminster Labour Government and the Northern Ireland Executive, is incredibly distressing and dangerous. Putting thousands of young trans people at immense risk.

We have seen young trans people scale buildings, march in the streets, and camp outside England’s Department for Education, for days on end. And for almost a hundred days, left paper coffins outside the constituency office of the UK’s Health Secretary, Labour MP Wes Streeting, warning him of the dangers of a ban. 

And despite urgent pleas by trans people. It was ignored. The inhumanity of weaponising the healthcare of marginalised young people, putting lives at risk, is unforgivable.

As justification, decision makers keep pointing to the Cass Review, which has been previously condemned by medical organisations, and ourselves. It has been found to be poorly researched and cherry-picked for political purposes; its scientific literacy is on the level of the anti-vax movement. The review, we note, is deeply ableist towards neurodiverse trans young people—further pathologising and infantilising them, clearly ignoring the principle of Gillick Competency.

We have seen the review being biased against trans people, favouring the opinions of conversion therapists over trans communities.

The review recommends forcing patients to engage in a medical trial to access a treatment for which there is over 40 years of evidence in favour of its overwhelming safety. These trials would be grossly unethical and medically incompetent. The proposal of double-blind tests goes against any standard practice for a medical trial of this kind.

The pseudo-scientific decision of an unqualified, non-clinician, to impose a ban on accessing essential healthcare is already a dangerous precedent to set, with other potential long-term ramifications for the continued safety and independence of our NHS systems from politicisation.

Additionally, the undermining of Scottish and Welsh devolution by the UK Labour Government – by making a unilateral decision without consulting the devolved Health Secretaries and Parliaments – further erodes the already strained relationships of the public with the UK Government, as well as their health security under Westminster.

We call on Wes Streeting and the UK Labour government as a whole, and progressive parties in the Northern Ireland Executive, to both condemn, and reverse this ban immediately. We also demand that the UK Government commit to working with the devolved nations, rather than using or imposing upon them.

To the young trans people reading this, we hear you, and we will push as hard as we can, as you deserve better than this.