The UK government’s recent decision to permit a clinical trial of puberty blockers on gender-confused children is deeply troubling. Whatever one thinks of the broader debates around gender identity, there are some lines we simply should not cross. Vulnerable, muddled young people should never be treated as guinea pigs in a social experiment.
That the state is now sanctioning hormonal intervention for minors in clinical research ought to horrify Christians and non-Christians alike. These are not trivial medicines — they profoundly interfere with a child’s biological development, with long-term risks that remain poorly understood.
The Cass Review, commissioned by the NHS to look at children’s gender services, found the current evidence base “remarkably weak,” particularly for puberty suppression and cross-sex hormones in children. It warned that there is insufficient high-quality data on psychological, cognitive, bone-health, fertility, and cardio-metabolic effects.
