UK Pediatric Gender Clinic Forced to Close After Damning Report, Faces Legal Action from Former Patients – Opinion

UK’s National Health Service has ordered the closure of a controversial gender clinic for children over a report revealing that some health staff felt pressured to take “an unquestioning affirmative approach” to children experiencing gender dysphoria.

Tavistock Centre in London is also known as Gender Identity Development Service, (GIDS) Tavistock, which was established in 1920 to help WWI shellshock survivors, has been around since then. Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust have expanded the scope of their services to include a wide range of services. GIDS focuses mostly on issues related to child gender. Since 1989 GIDS has treated 19,000 children with gender dysphoria (the feeling that one’s true identity is the opposite gender of their physical body).

The report’s external author expressed concern about the insufficient knowledge regarding the impact of hormone blockers on puberty. Dr. Hilary Cass, the head of the review, wrote a letter to the head of NHS England on July 19:

…the most significant knowledge gaps are in relation to treatment with puberty blockers, and the lack of clarity about whether the rationale for prescription is as an initial part of a transition pathway or as a ‘pause’ to allow more time for decision making.

The role of the teenage sex hormones and their impact on the development and maturation of sexuality, gender identity and sexuality is not well understood. Therefore, we don’t know if puberty blocks may cause a delay in making a decision or buy us more time.

It’s interesting to read a professional admitting that they do not know everything about gender dysphoria and transition because every time I hear an “expert” they sound as if there are no unanswered questions and that we have a full understanding of the effects of hormone blockers and surgery. If you want to see people who are completely sure of their realities, check out Matt Walsh’s documentary, What’s a Woman?, read Bonchie’s piece on it, or just read below:

The Centre isn’t being closed solely for those issues, however, as the NHS has decided to go for a more regional approach instead of having only one gender clinic in the country. Long wait times—sometimes as long as two years to get an appointment—are also blamed.

However, the gender issue is the heart of the matter. Patients and their family members are planning a class action lawsuit against the facility. The plaintiffs will be represented by Pogust Goodhead. According to Tom Goodhead, the chief executive of the facility, this statement was made by The UK Times

Young adolescents and children were treated in a hurry without proper therapy or involvement from the right clinicians. This led to misdiagnosis and a start on the wrong treatment path.

The treatment that they received has had life-altering and sometimes irreversible consequences for these children. . . This action is expected to be joined by at least 1000 clients.

Times Radio interviews Goodhead here:

Tavistock was previously sued in 2020 by former patient Keira Bell, who asserted that she’d been put on puberty blockers at the age of 16 “after a series of superficial conversations with social workers,” and had her breasts removed at age 20—which she regretted. Unfortunately, she lost, with the court writing “it was for clinicians rather than the court to decide” whether Bell was mature enough to consent to such procedures. While she wasn’t quite old to drink a pint of beer in a pub with her friends, she was mature enough to accept puberty blocks. Ok.

The massive rise in gender dysphoria in recent years and the rush to unquestioningly prescribe every “gender-affirming” drug and surgical procedure is causing serious damage to many young people. More and more tragic stories are starting to come out, and my guess is it’s just the beginning of a tsunami.

I’m all for letting adults do whatever they want with their bodies. For teens and children who are experiencing gender confusion, I don’t believe surgery or powerful drugs will be the solution.

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