Government must stop children being sent to Tavistock – Tóibín

Aontú Leader and Meath West TD Peadar Tóibín has called on Stephen Donnelly to stop immediately the practice of the HSE of sending children to the Tavistock clinic in England. He stated;

“Health Ministers have known since 2019 of the serious concerns of senior doctors and psychiatrists over sending children to Tavistock and have done nothing. Tavistock is set to close due in large part to the damning report from Dr Hillary Cass which found that clinicians at Tavistock were pressurised into “affirming” children’s gender changes rather than properly ascertaining what co morbidities or other mental health issues were leading to the difficulties these children had.

“There is also a significant likelihood that up to 1,000 children will sue Tavistock. Similar clinics in other countries such as France, Sweden and Finland are being closed down. That the HSE is proceeding to send children to Tavistock regardless of all of this evidence is incredible. The HSE is not listening to the concerns of senior psychiatrists about the welfare of these children and is also leaving itself open for significant possible legal action”.

“This issue needs to be dealt with carefully and with respect, but health care has to be delivered on a rational and scientific basis. Ideology should not determine the treatment a child receives. Yet Dr Paul Moran has stated that he fears the HSE is “ideologically committed” to hormone-based care for children.

“Prescribing puberty blockers and hormones to children without proper assessment is wrong and dangerous and will lead to enormous regret amongst the very children the service is supposed to help. Irreversible damage can be carried out on children many of whom later may seeking to de-transition in the future”.

“The minister must indicate what audits the Department of Health has undertaken into the gender reaffirming policy of the HSE. We are calling on the Department of Health to detail what audits they have carried out into the co morbidities experienced by patients who have been prescribed hormones and puberty blockers and what have been the outcomes for patients. We are calling on the government to cease immediately the practice of sending Irish children to Tavistock while investigations are being carried out”.