The NHS puberty blockers trial was allegedly paused after “concerns” raised by a senior figure later removed from the trial over his ‘gender-critical’ views, it has been claimed.

Legal campaigners Good Law Project revealed on Thursday (12 March) that the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) temporarily halted the upcoming PATHWAYS trial because of concerns raised by cardiology physician professor Jacob George.

The £10 million study, headed by King’s College London (KCL), was designed to analyse the effects of puberty suppressant hormones, known as puberty blockers, on transgender youngsters.

It was temporarily halted by health secretary Wes Streeting, citing a letter he received expressing “new concerns” regarding the “wellbeing of children and young people.” The Health Department published the latter, but redacted several names.

Good Law Project claims in its report that the letter came from Professor George, who said the trial might cause “long-term biological harms” and suggested raising the minimum age limit to 14. A week later, Streeting paused the trial.

Professor George’s involvement in the trial halted in late February after The Times reported that he had made several posts online expressing ‘gender-critical‘ views.

One of the now-deleted posts on X/Twitter saw the physician accusing the NHS of denying what he described as a “basic biological fact” that “gender is set at birth.” In another, he praised notorious ‘gender-critical’ pundit JK Rowling as a “treasure of our time.”

Wes Streeting urged to confirm whether letter was the ‘sole basis’ for puberty blockers pause

According to the report, the Health Department claims George was removed from involvement in the trial as a “precautionary step”. However, Good Law Project argued that the decision was made to comply with impartiality laws regarding policymakers, which they said George’s comments “clearly breached.”

“When Streeting paused the trial, the only source he cited was George’s letter – advice that we now know was fatally infected by bias,” a spokesperson said.

Campaigners called on the Health Department to confirm whether the letter was the sole basis for their decision and whether Streeting was aware of concerns around the professor’s views before halting the trial.

The development brings yet more scepticism to the already widely-criticised decision to indefinitely halt the trial until further considerations have been made.

Last month, clinical psychologist Dr Aidan Kelly told PinkNews that the Health Department and the NHS’s actions were not just “poorly thought out,” but were seemingly conceding to the “anti-trans lobby.”

“They keep talking about young people’s safety and well-being as the primary importance, but it’s never felt that way,” he said. “It’s felt more and more like these moves have been motivated by other desires or other priorities.”

He noted that puberty blockers are widely prescribed without issue in countries across the world and have, on numerous occasions, been described as safe, effective, and potentially life-saving by researchers and clinicians.

“The premise for the trial was flawed in the first place, and now it’s running into problems because the NHS has conceded so much ground to the anti-trans lobby,” he said.

In a statement to PinkNews, a DHSC spokesperson said: “Children with gender dysphoria will still be able to receive care through new regional Children and Young People’s gender services, which provide holistic care, centred on psychosocial support. This includes thorough mental health support.

“As the evidence is now being interrogated by clinicians, preparations for the trial have been paused while the MHRA and clinical leaders work through these concerns.”

Share your story! Do you have an important, exciting or uplifting story to tell? Email us at news@pinknews.co.uk

The post Streeting pressed on whether ‘gender-critical’ doctor influenced pause on puberty blockers trial appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.