The UK's National Health Service (NHS) will allow children as young as seven to receive transgender care, according to plans seen by The Telegraph. The plans, which are part of a broader overhaul of the transgender treatment system, have sparked concerns over the potential consequences of early medical intervention on young minds.
Children covered by the services will be offered psychological support and therapy to focus on issues that may have led to feelings concerning their gender, however health experts warn that the new rule could still put children with mental health struggles on a "pathway to medical transition."
The concerns are amplified by the potential consequences of labeling a child's difficulties as gender-related, potentially pushing them towards a predetermined path of treatment.
The decision to implement these changes stems from the NHS' decision to shutter the Tavistock transgender clinic. Dr. Hilary Cass' review deemed the clinic as unsafe, raising concerns that young individuals were being rapidly pushed into a medical framework without adequate consideration of alternative factors such as autism and mental health.
The clinic is being replaced by a set of regional centres that will be led by medical doctors, rather than therapists, and consider the impact of other conditions such as autism and mental health issues.
The move came amid growing concern about the impact of gender ideology on children, including in schools where some were being socially transitioned without their parents’ consent.
NHS England said that a new service was needed because there was “scarce and inconclusive evidence to support clinical decision-making” at the Tavistock clinic. -Telegraph
The shift in approach reflects the growing unease around the impact of gender ideology on children. Reports of children undergoing social transitions without parental consent in schools have fueled concerns over the potential consequences of premature interventions.
Navigating the Uncharted Waters of Early Intervention
While the move toward evidence-based decision-making is welcomed by many, questions linger about the potential long-term effects of early intervention. Critics argue that more research is needed to fully understand the ramifications of puberty blockers, especially for young patients whose bodies and minds are still developing.
Under the new plans, "Children under seven years of age may not be expected to have sufficiently developed their intellectual understanding of, and comprehension of, sex and gender to be able to understand the reasons for, and potential consequences of, a referral to a specialist gender incongruence service.”"
But, according to the UK, by the age of seven, children will "be more established within school, and education professionals and school nurses will be able to contribute to a general observational view as to the appropriateness of a referral."
Right.
Previously, children as young as three were being treated by Tavistock, with an average of three children under the age of seven having been referred each month.
Former Tavistock governor-turned-whistleblower Dr. David Bell, told the Telegraph: "For me, there is a structural problem which needs particular caution: referring a child to a gender service, even if they are seen in the context of a multidisciplinary team, in that the mere fact of referral is consequential.
"It risks the child’s difficulties being viewed by themselves and their family as primarily to do with gender. Labelling the problem as a gender problem can easily be the first step on a pathway to medical transition.
"My view is that certainly for the younger ages, children should be managed within the context of the ordinary Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
"Their difficulties should not be designated as a gender problem, it is much more appropriate that they be seen as individuals who are distressed and this is one way in which that distress is expressed."
