‘We should never play politics with children’s health’ - Belfast pharmacist says evidence must guide puberty blockers debate

A west Belfast pharmacist has said any further use of puberty blockers for young people in Northern Ireland must be guided by clinical evidence.

Dr Terry Maguire has set out his concerns as the UK’s temporary ban on puberty blockers was extended to Northern Ireland.

It prevents the prescription of medication, which suppresses the natural production of sex hormones to delay puberty, from European or private prescribers and restricts NHS provision to clinical trials.

It followed the independent Cass Review in April, which said there was “remarkably weak” evidence on the use of puberty blocker treatments and that young people were caught in the middle of a culture war.

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The Health Minister Mike Nesbitt was backed by the DUP and Sinn Féin to introduce the ban, citing concerns of evidence and that Northern Ireland could be used to exploit a loophole in the UK legislation.

NHS England has also announced that a clinical trial of puberty blockers will take place next year.

On Tuesday, protestors gathered outside Belfast City Hall to warn the ban would have serious consequences for the health and wellbeing of trans young people.

With slogans like “Gender Affirming Care Saves Lives,” the protestors included Eren Mallon (15) from Co Down, who identifies as male, and has been taking testosterone since May.

Eren’s mother Diane Mallon told the Irish News the mental health of her child was her priority, and that it was unfair to single out trans children with the ban.

Alexa Moore of the Rainbow Project added: “This is a ban specifically on the use of puberty blockers to treat gender dysphoria. These medications are used to treat a vast variety of other condition as well, including endometriosis. They’re not being banned in those cases, they’re just being banned specifically for use by trans young people.”

In his article for the Slugger O’Toole website, Dr Maguire said he personally supported the right of any adult to access gender transitioning treatment without discrimination - but that not enough was known about the long-term physical and neurological effects of puberty blockers.

“On one side are those who support and promote the manipulation of natural biological processes in young people so that they can eventually transition and change their biological sex,” he wrote.

“On the other side are mostly the rest of us who have looked on bewildered for 10 years at what was happening to these vulnerable children and asked ‘is this right?’”

He described the previous use of the treatment for young people as “very complex and ill-defined”.

“There is no understanding about the impact of hormone blockers on development factors such as; bone density, brain development and fertility in transgender patients.”

Referencing the Cass Review, he said the existing studies into puberty blockers were “generally of poor quality” as well as citing a review by the University of York, which questioned arguments that puberty blockers buy “time to think,” improved body image and psychological wellbeing as well as hormone treatment reducing an elevated risk of death by suicide in the trans population.

“We should never play politics with children’s health. We should never have drug therapy used in support of an orthodoxy but only where there is good quality evidence of safety and efficacy and that the medicines used demonstrably improve a patient’s quality of life.”