James Kirkup James Kirkup

Why the Tavistock clinic had to be shut down

This is a child welfare issue

(Alamy)

There are many reasons why what is sometimes crudely called ‘the trans issue’ is important. One is the political failure that left the legitimate views of many women (and men) ignored by decision-making individuals and bodies, who instead prioritised the views of interest groups and campaigners. Another is the multiple failures of governance that have seen numerous public bodies fail to deal properly and responsibly with questions of real public interest, because of their enthusiasm to follow the subjective agenda of interest groups rather than amass and act on objective evidence.

Simply put, organisations that are supposed to make decisions on the basis of facts have sometimes chosen to proceed on the basis of feelings and claims. Wishful thinking has come before harsh reality. Individuals who have questioned such things have sometimes been discouraged and even punished by organisations that priortise adherence to the campaigners’ agenda above the public interest. 

Nowhere is this more painful than in the area of clinical treatment for children who may be experiencing trouble relating to their gender identity. In recent years, the number of such children seen and treated by the NHS has risen sharply, and the number waiting for such treatment is up too. The main English clinic for such treatment is the Gender Identity Development Service at the Tavistock and Portman Trust in London. Or rather, was, because NHS England has just effectively shut down the GIDS. 

The closure comes after the latest report from Hilary Cass, a senior paediatrician who has been reviewing NHS gender services for children. To say her findings have been damning is an understatement. GIDS is being dismantled because over several years it administered potentially life-changing treatments to often vulnerable children, sometimes involving drugs whose effects it did not understand and often without adequate record-keeping to track the welfare of those children.

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