LONDON (AP) — Children who question their gender identity are being let down by lack of evidence and a toxic political debate, according to a report Wednesday from a senior doctor in England.
Dr. Hilary Cass said there is “no good evidence on the long-term outcomes of interventions to manage gender-related distress,” and young people have been caught up in a “stormy social discourse” about the issue.
“Ideology on all sides has directed care, rather than care being directed by normal principles of pediatrics and mental health,” said Cass, a retired clinical pediatrician appointed to lead a review of gender services for young people by the state-funded National Health Service.
On April 1 doctors in England’s public health system stopped prescribing puberty-blocking hormones to children and young people with gender dysphoria. The decision came after recommendations in Cass’ earlier interim report, which said there is not enough evidence about the …