Scandal as NHS goes ahead with ‘unethical’ puberty blockers trial

Campaigners warn of irreversible harm as the NHS restarts its plans for a puberty blockers trial for children as young as 11.

The controversial trial was previously paused following concerns over safety and efficacy by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). It has been amended to add in a minimum age limit and clearer measures for when to withdraw treatment in the case of harm.

Children will be recruited from 1 August 2026. This has been delayed due to legal proceedings attempting to stop the trial going ahead.

Modified protocol

A Government update stated: “the Health Research Authority has approved the trial for its ethical standards”.

It explained: “The modified protocol includes strengthened safeguards including the introduction of minimum ages of entry to the trial and more clearly defined discontinuation measures around safety for bone health, cognition, and vaginal bleeding as well as more detailed information for participants on fertility preservation.”

It noted: “MHRA’s top priority is the safety and wellbeing of the trial participants”.

Safety is paramount

The team from King’s College London (KCL), which is leading the research dubbed ‘Pathways’, said: “We will always welcome scrutiny of research involving children and young people because their health and safety is paramount. Our priority remains to safely and robustly investigate the benefits and risks of puberty suppression for young people with gender incongruence to improve the evidence base and inform NHS healthcare.

“We have worked extensively and openly with the MHRA to understand and resolve the questions they raised about Pathways Trial in February, which were not based on the emergence of any new scientific evidence. We have strengthened patient information connected to the trial and introduced a minimum age requirement, however there are no major changes to the design or conduct of Pathways Trial.”

They claimed that “good ethical practice dictates that children who are clinically eligible should not be discriminated against on age alone”, but that an age limit was agreed as they did not expect to receive participants younger than those ages.

Experimenting on children

However, the LGB Alliance wrote that gender-confused children “don’t need more information on fertility preservation or greater safeguarding around bone health and cognition. They’re physically healthy children who just need to be allowed to grow up.”

Biology in Medicine commented: “why would you do something harmful to a child when it’s not necessary? Puberty cures cross sex beliefs. Children must be allowed to go through normal puberty – this should be a childhood human right.”

Campaign group Genspect called the trial a “scandal”, explaining: “Puberty blockers are not a neutral pause, they are the first stage of medical transition.”

It added: “Experimenting on children with interventions that carry lifelong consequences is unethical. The claimed benefits rest on subjective measures and are outweighed by the objective risks.”

Stop the trial

MP Rebecca Paul posted on social media: “Another terrible decision by this Government that will harm children. Yet again pandering to trans activists rather than putting the safety and protection of children first. I will do all I can to get this horrific trial stopped.”

Campaigner and therapist James Esses said he was “saddened” by the news. He urged the Health Secretary to “do the right thing and pull the plug on this monstrosity of a trial”.