Free Republic

The New Zealand Ministry of Health released a long-anticipated report this week, stating that there is limited evidence supporting the use of puberty-blocking drugs for children suffering from gender identity issues.The ministry called for a more cautious approach to their prescription, aligning with a growing global trend towards tightening regulations on what critics had for years argued were experimental practices. The ministry stated in a release there is "a lack of good quality evidence to back the effectiveness and safety of puberty blockers when used for this purpose." The government agency also announced a public consultation process, inviting submissions until...

England’s National Health Service banned the use of puberty blockers for children seeking treatment for gender dysphoria, citing limited research. Puberty blockers, or gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues (GnRHa), is a class of drugs that suppresses sex hormones in adolescents by continually stimulating the pituitary gland. It will now only be available to children in limited ways, such as clinical trials. The NHS’s website said, “Puberty blockers (gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogues) are not available to children and young people for gender incongruence or gender dysphoria because there is not enough evidence of safety and clinical effectiveness.” NHS England had previously ordered the London-based...