Why is our mainstream media silent on the risks of puberty blockers and other gender transitioning treatments, especially since UK medical reviews have found that “puberty blockers put children at considerable risk”? This topic is being widely reported by international media (including Australian media), but not by our own mainstream media. Is their silence due to ignorance, incompetence, or ideology? Most likely the latter.
There have been significant international developments recently that should interest many New Zealand families. In particular, the UK National Health Service shut down its controversial Tavistock Gender Clinic over “safety concerns”, after an extensive medical review found that treatments such as puberty blockers put children “at considerable risk”.
There are also 1000 UK families now filing a medical negligence lawsuit against the Tavistock Clinic, claiming that vulnerable children have been “misdiagnosed, leading them down a path of no return.”, and that the clinic “failed in its duty to protect the children’s health”. Puberty blockers with harmful side effects were gladly prescribed, and the clinic took a radical “affirmative and unquestioning approach” to children identifying as transgender.
Families said they were not properly informed of the consequences of puberty blockers, and other treatments, given by the Tavistock Clinic.
New Zealand families should certainly know about these important developments, and our mainstream media should be reporting it. But they are not. There is however this excellent article written by Dr Sarah Donovan and published on the independent Newsroom platform. Dr Donovan is an Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Public Health at the University of Otago Wellington.
In her article Dr Donovan discusses the NZ media silence, and highlights the astonishing contrast between what our own Ministry of Health has to say about puberty blockers vs UK National Health Service guidelines.
New Zealand’s Ministry of Health says that:
Puberty Blockers are a safe and fully reversible medicine that may be used from early puberty through to later adolescence to help ease distress and allow time to fully explore gender health options.
Source: Ministry of Health website.
In contrast, the UK National Health Service is much more circumspect about puberty blockers:
Little is known about the long-term side effects of hormone or puberty blockers in children with gender dysphoria. Although the Gender Identity Development Service advises this is a physically reversible treatment if stopped, it is not known what the psychological effects may be. It’s also not known whether hormone blockers affect the development of the teenage brain or children’s bones.
Wow, “not known whether hormone blockers affect the development of the teenage brain or children’s bones.” … just ponder on this for a moment, as it is truly frightening.
We know which advice is most trustworthy, and sadly it’s not the advice coming out of our Ministry of Health or the NZ media.
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/why-the-tavistock-clinic-had-to-be-shut-down
**This post was written by Family First staff writers.
