Puberty blockers: Scottish children's commissioner has no 'fixed view' on controversial medical treatment for trans youngsters

Nicola Killean told MSPs she believed decisions on medical care should be made by medical professionals, when she was quizzed on the ongoing controversy around the treatment for transgender youngsters.

While giving evidence to Holyrood’s education committee on Wednesday, she also highlighted the need to offer “maximum support” to young people at a time of “inflamed” debate over the issue.

NHS England has recently decided to stop gender identity clinics from prescribing puberty blockers, which halt the physical changes associated with puberty.

It comes as a review led by Dr Hilary Cass concluded the rationale for early puberty suppression “remains unclear”, with “weak evidence regarding the impact on gender dysphoria, mental or psychosocial health”.

Following the findings, the Scottish Government has come under growing pressure to implement a similar ban on puberty blockers north of the border. The SNP’s Michelle Thomson raised the issue with Ms Killean, who was appointed children and young people’s commissioner last year, as she gave evidence.

Ms Thomson said: “One of the takeouts from the Cass Review is this issue around the prescribing of puberty blockers to young children. They state that it compromises bone density.

"So with that in mind, I appreciate it is early days and a number of organisations will need to be looking at that, but ... how alarmed do you feel about that?”

The children’s commissioner responded: "It’s not a specific issue that the office has worked on and I don’t have a fixed view on that. What I would say is that the Scottish Government is looking at this, and decisions around about medical care should continue to be made by medical professionals.”

In response to earlier questions from Ms Thomson on the Cass Review, Ms Killean said the report had raised “some really important issues, in a really open way”.

She said: "The first one that I think is really important is around about the polarisation of the discussion and debate around about supporting healthcare for young trans people.

"So first of all, I just wanted to highlight that for any trans, non-binary, or children and young people that are questioning their gender identity at the moment in Scotland, I think it is so important right now that we can already see in the media and online that the nature of the discussion is inflamed again at the moment, and children and young people need absolute maximum support.

"There are also some important issues in there around about evidence and research gaps. So all children and young people have the right to have the highest attainable standards of health, and we would absolutely [want to] see that, not just for trans young people, but across the board, that wherever there are gaps, that we would look to see that addressed.

"This was a report for England, but I see that the Scottish Government is looking at the report at the moment, so we will be interested to see what the response is.”