A mother has written to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) asking it to ban private clinics giving sex-swap drugs to gender-confused minors.
The woman’s 17-year-old daughter is receiving cross-sex hormones through the private Gender Plus Hormone Clinic. Last week, the NHS halted this type of treatment for new patients under the age of 18 due to “weak evidence” supporting their use.
The hormones, either testosterone or oestrogen, are given to gender-confused patients to stimulate the development of opposite-sex characteristics, such as a deeper voice or breast growth. Many of these changes and their side effects are irreversible.
Lifelong patients
The mother told The Daily Telegraph: “The rules that apply to the NHS should apply to the private sector as well. These hormones don’t magically become safe just because they are prescribed privately.”
Her daughter is now estranged following her opposition to the treatment. She said: “I’ve met so many other parents that are in almost identical situations, where their ex-partner has taken their child, alienated them from them deliberately, and ‘trans’d’ them. And these kids are now lifelong patients.”
She accused Paul Carruthers, who leads the controversial clinic — dubbed ‘Tavistock 2.0’ — of profiteering from her daughter’s confusion. She said: “The worst thing you can do to a mother is take away a child and hurt them. He won’t care when she’s broken, when her body doesn’t function like it should, when she wants kids and can’t have them, he won’t care.
“He’ll say it was her choice and he was supporting her choice. He wasn’t supporting her choice. He’s hurting me in the worst way possible.”
Assessing risks
Defending the clinic’s actions, a Gender Plus spokesman said: “Independent providers operate under a different commissioning framework and must ensure that any care provided is clinically appropriate, evidence-informed, and delivered with robust safeguards, multidisciplinary assessment, and informed consent.
“We recognise that this is an area of strong public interest and debate, and we take our responsibilities to young people and their families extremely seriously.”
A spokesman from the CQC stated: “It is for providers to ensure they are providing appropriate care to patients/services users.”
He continued: “This includes assessing the risks of providing care and treatment, and taking action to mitigate those risks. In assessing compliance with this regulation we would expect providers to be aware of and follow national guidance.”
Protection
Keira Bell, a detransitioner who now campaigns against transgender ideology, explained: “Every youth deserves protection from this life-altering treatment and the opportunity to live a fulfilling life without becoming a life-long medical patient.”
Lawyer Paul Conrathe, from Conrathe Gardner LLP, who is representing Keira Bell among others, said: “Whilst protecting teenagers treated in the NHS, it leaves others vulnerable to treatment from gender activists in the private sector. It would now be irrational and an abdication of the Secretary of State’s responsibility for him to allow private providers to continue to prescribe these unsafe drugs.”
Conrathe added: “We have written to him to request that an immediate ban is put in place in the private sector. If he fails to do so, we will commence proceedings in the High Court.”
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