Matt Goodwin’s newsletter goes to 64,400 subscribers from 173 countries. Like our stuff? Then for the equivalent of buying us a pint each month become a paying supporter. Help us make a difference while gaining access to everything —the full archive, Live with Matt every Friday, exclusive posts, events, discounts, leave comments, join the debate, and most of all know you’re supporting independent writers who are pushing back against the grain and giving voice to millions. You can also join us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter/X and Facebook.
Last Wednesday, the Labour government took what is probably its most principled and beneficial stance since first being elected and announced an indefinite ban on puberty blockers. The impact of this cannot be overstated. This decision will safeguard children from irreversible harm. Harm to their bone health. Harm to their psychological functioning. Harm to their fertility. It will also firmly remove these children from a slippery slope towards greater and even more harmful medical and surgical interventions. What is a shame, however, is that it has taken this long to ban puberty blockers, and that medicalising children in this way, for what is a mental health condition, has ever been deemed appropriate by the expert class and our so-called political leaders. The primary catalyst for the decision to ban puberty blockers was the independent Cass Review, commissioned by the last Conservative government, which produced its final report earlier this year. As we wrote at the time, contrary to much of what we have been told by so-called “experts” and healthcare “professionals”, the thorough and reliable research by Dr Cass found “remarkably weak” evidence for giving puberty blockers to children, particularly when considering the considerable associated risks. It was this report that led to the previous (Conservative) government introducing a temporary ban on puberty blockers in March of this year. When they took office, Labour extended this temporary ban. And now, it’s become an indefinite ban. Even radical progressives within the Labour Party cannot ignore the glaring lack of evidence for this radical if not extreme medical intervention. This ban captures the sale and supply of puberty blockers for use in treating the mental health condition, ‘gender dysphoria’. This was in part decided following a targeted government consultation, which involved engaging with representative groups of those likely to be affected by such a decision. Following this, the Commission on Human Medicines concluded there was “an unacceptable safety risk in the continued prescription of puberty blockers”. Even more heartening is the fact that other parts of the United Kingdom appear to be following suit. It was recently announced by the Scottish government that they will take the same action, with an indefinite ban. A vote took place in Northern Ireland, paving the way for an indefinite ban there, too. This is absolutely how it should be. When it comes to child safeguarding, there should be a consistent approach throughout the United Kingdom. Speaking for many of us who have been warning about gender ideology and politically-motivated medical treatments for some time, even Labour’s Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, recently said in the House of Commons: “it is a scandal that medicine was given to vulnerable children without the proof that it was safe or effective." Indeed. As we said earlier this year when, once again, this Substack pushed against the consensus in elite circles, doing this to children is simply child abuse. So, while we are often critical of the new Labour government we have no problem saying that, on this particular issue, Labour deserves credit for taking this step, particularly in light of the abuse and vitriol they will have foreseen. Indeed, even today there are more than a few people on the radical left who still refuse to put scientific evidence ahead of their dangerous ideological dogma. Green MP, Sian Berry, has accused the government of “discrimination”. Labour MP, Nadia Whittome, spoke of her “deep disappointment” at the decision. Campaign group, Labour for Trans Rights, has already written an open letter to Wes Streeting, which it claims has almost 10,000 signatures, saying it’s “appalled” by the “ideological ban”.
All this is a reminder of the danger that still lurks in our society, the radical activists who seek to control and corrupt our public institutions. Which is why we must not stop fighting. Indeed, while the indefinite ban is a positive step forward I would argue that even this does not go far enough. Firstly, there is a difference between a permanent ban and an indefinite ban. The latter, which is what we now have, is due to be reviewed in 2027, meaning it can be easily overturned by, say, an even more radically left-wing Labour Party. Secondly, the government specifically announced: “NHS patients who are already receiving these medicines for gender incongruence and/or gender dysphoria can continue to access them, as can patients receiving the medicines for other uses.” This means that children who are already on puberty blockers, who have already had their lives ruined, can continue to receive them, irrespective of the harm that the government now acknowledges they cause! This is utterly inconsistent and, put simply, is outrageous. Thirdly, it still feels as if the wrong approach is being taken as regards the treatment of children who believe themselves to have been born in the wrong body. The Labour government is on the cusp of rolling out eight new regional gender clinics. However, my view —shared by many colleagues— is that we need to move away from this approach of viewing ‘gender distress’ as the issue itself and instead start viewing it as symptomatic of wider disease within a young person. On this basis, I believe there should not be any standalone gender clinics in Britain at at all. Instead, these children should be seen using general and existing mental healthcare pathways because this is often what we are talking about —a mental health condition. Fourthly, and perhaps most concerning of all, the government is pushing forward with a clinical trial for puberty blockers. Particularly worrying in this regard is that Dr Cass recently stated that unlimited numbers of children will be able to partake in such a trial. It isn’t clear whether or not she misspoke. If true, surely this flies in the good ethical practise? I feel so strongly about this issue that, along with a number of concerned organisations, I signed a joint letter to Wes Streeting, calling on him to cancel the plans for this clinical trial. The children who will take part in a trial cannot even properly be described as guinea pigs because we already know the harm that will be caused to them. So, on this issue, too, we need to keep campaigning and pushing. And, lastly, while undeniably crucial, this is only one piece of a bigger puzzle in terms of the medical harms being caused in the name of gender ideology. Children in the UK are still able to avail of cross-sex hormones, which cause significant physical and emotional harms (in fact, there is a case currently before the Court of Appeal, in which a mother is fighting to prevent her 16-year-old from receiving cross-sex hormones). Furthermore, adults can still choose to undergo surgery to amputate their healthy breasts and/or genitals. These ‘treatments’ should also be banned, permanently. I would like to finish by saying this: there was a time in which people could feign ignorance as to the harms caused by puberty blockers in the name of gender ideology. But knowing what we do now, those days are long gone. These individuals, particular those in positions of power, who continue to call for the sterilisation and mutilation of children, must be held to account. In the words of Elon Musk, commenting on a recent viral X post of mine on this subject, “justice will be served”. I will not rest until it is.
You’re a free subscriber. For the full experience, to access the full archive, Live with Matt discussions, leave comments, get advance notice about events, parties, and discounts, and the knowledge you are supporting contrarian writers who are pushing back against the tide and making a difference, become a paying subscriber and help make our work possible.
|
