The British Medical Association (BMA) has voted to undertake an evaluation of the Cass Review and a pause on implementation of Cass recommendations citing the widespread condemnation of the review from many doctors both in and out of the UK.
The Cass Review is billed as an independent review on gender identity services for children and young people in the UK. But it has been widely condemned by academics, parents, trans people, allies, doctors and other health care practitioners globally.
In fact the only people seemingly not opposing it are those who are quite obviously transphobic and seem to believe the review backs up their beliefs when it quite categorically does not.
This has led the BMA to take a vote on Cass. Specifically the motion slams Cass for its “unsubstantiated recommendations driven by unexplained study protocol deviations, ambiguous eligibility criteria and exclusion of trans-affirming evidence.”
The motion futher calls on the BMA to:
- Publicly critique the Cass Review
- Lobby and work with other relevant organisations and stakeholders to oppose the implementation of the recommendations made by the Cass Review
- Lobby The Government and NHS in all four nations to ensure continuity in provision of transgender healthcare for patients younger than 18 years old
- Lobby the Government and NHS in all four nations to ensure continuity in provision of transgender healthcare for patients aged 18 or older
- Publicly state suport for transgender people, particularly transgender youth and provision of prompt access to gender identity services and treatment at all ages
- Condemn the increasing political transphobia which is ostracising transgender people and discriminating against them by blocking their access to healthcare.
Cass’ recommendations include halting of puberty blocker prescriptions on the NHS with a view of funneling youngsters into participation in a research program. The Cass Review has also been used as justification for Wes Streeting upholding Victoria Atkins ban on puberty blockers in the private healthcare sector.
The BMA has now voted to pause implementation of Cass and specifically to “ensure continuity in provision of transgender healthcare” for all ages.
The BMA’s statement says that it has been “critical of proposals to ban the prescribing of puberty blockers to children and young people with gender dysphoria”. Though the only statement I can find on their website regarding puberty blockers is from a GP in Scotland, Angela Dixon and reads;
Angela Dixon, a GP from Scotland, told the meeting that while all transgender people should be able to access healthcare and live their lives with dignity, the BMA should not be supporting medical interventions for gender dysphoric children, saying they were ‘far from evidence-based. Nor should the BMA be supporting legal changes that conflict with women’s sex-based rights,’ she said.
This forms part of a news and opinion article of what appears to be a BMA meeting. There is absolutely zero rebuttal to this statement within the article and it very much seems to be in favour of stopping access to hormone blockers.
The most salient point in the BMA’s statement calling for pause on implementation of Cass is “The Association believes clinicians, patients and families should make decisions about treatment on the best available evidence, not politicians.” Though as someone who has been personally affected by clinicians who are refusing to treat trans people I fear this doesn’t go far enough.
There exists a general consensus on the best practice healthcare for transgender people which largely involves listening to what we want and helping us to achieve it safely. But it isn’t worth a damn if there’s no obligation to follow that best practice and if doctors, like my GP or even my former gender clinic clinician, can just say no whenever they feel like it.
I’m glad to see the BMA haven’t capitulated to bigoted fearmongering and are willing to fight for things like a pause on implementation of Cass. But I reserve my judgement for its usefulness until I know exactly what that entails. Its no good pausing a ban if no one is going to prescribe the medication to those who need it.
