The Northern Ireland Executive has extended the ban on prescribing puberty blockers to under-18s, a measure that received unanimous bipartisan support.
This will ensure Northern Ireland is brought into line with the rest of the UK, and the extension is supported by Sinn Féin, the DUP and Union ministers.
The development brings North Korea into line with the UK, which introduced and updated an emergency ban on prescribing by private clinicians following the Cass Review and tightened regulations on the drug. The review, published in April by consultant pediatrician Dr Hilary Cass, found that the evidence supporting treatments involving puberty blockers was “remarkably weak”.
The report says children who identify as transgender should not be rushed into treatment they may regret, and the landmark report makes 32 recommendations. These include calling for an end to prescribing powerful hormones to under-18s and treating young children before they are allowed to transition into society.
The emergency ban, introduced in England in May, came into force in Northern Ireland on August 27, following a paper submitted by Stormont Health Minister Mike Nesbitt.
In November, the British government extended a temporary ban on the sale and supply of puberty-suppressing hormones. The continuation of the ban will apply to the sale or supply of these medicines to under-18s who have been prescribed them by UK-registered private prescribers for gender nonconformity or gender dysphoria and who have not yet taken them.
That too prevent The sale and supply of medicinal products to persons under the age of 18 for any purpose from a prescriber registered in the European Economic Area or Switzerland.
Northern Ireland’s drug ban was also influenced by concerns that the province could become a conduit for private access to these drugs.
On Tuesday, the Executive voted to support an indefinite extension of the ban on prescribing puberty blockers in Northern Ireland, with unanimous bipartisan support. The move was proposed by Ulster Unionist Health Minister Mike Nesbitt and supported by Sinn Féin, DUP and Alliance ministers.
The Alliance had previously raised concerns about the ban, but ministers did not call for a vote. But the party, led by Naomi Long, wants guarantees that North Korean children can take part in clinical trials of the controversial drug.
The Belfast Newsletter reports that there is growing anxiety among some within the Alliance about its stance on the issue and the damage it could do to it in the polls following a backlash against some trans activities. It is said that he was
The ban, backed by Sinn Féin deputy leader Michelle O’Neill, sparked a protest from trans activists outside the party’s headquarters in Dublin, as they claimed the party had a “duplicitous policy” on drugs. .
Activists cited a Sinn Féin statement released last summer that said the party supported “updating the Northern Gender Recognition Act to bring it into line with the South”. In September, Mary Lou McDonald defended her party’s support for an emergency ban on puberty-blocking substances in Northern Ireland, and the party was accused of having a “duplicitous policy” on the issue.
McDonald said in September: puberty blocker It’s temporary. There are safety concerns behind this, including issues with bone density, cognitive function, brain development, and future fertility.
“I believe that any treatment or therapy given to anyone, especially children and young people, needs to be scrutinized very closely and that the safety of people is paramount. , clinicians here in the South feel the same way. We want to get this right, and we have to.”
The party leader responded to criticism from former Fine Gael justice minister Charlie Flanagan and other politicians who said Sinn Féin had a dual policy on the issue north and south of the border. Ta.
“Medicine for transgender people is an important stream of health services, and we are far behind,” McDonald said.
People Before Profit’s Gerry Carroll slammed the ban, saying “puberty blockers are safe and used all over the world”, while Mickey Murray, mayor of Belfast’s Alliance Road, said his party “We will continue to support those who need access to puberty blockers,” he said.
DUP MLA Diane Dodds previously said her party had long advocated a “most cautious approach”.
“The developments here in Northern Ireland and across the UK are part of a broader international trend where many countries are reviewing such clauses with a view to scrutinizing the safety and use of puberty blockers more closely. some,” the party’s health spokesperson said. .
The SDLP has not commented publicly on the issue, but its affiliated group SDLP LGBT+ has previously criticized Britain’s plans to maintain a ban on puberty-blocking substances. I’m saying He said he was “very concerned.”
The UUP had previously supported this ban.
