Trans activists’ claims that puberty blocker ban will ‘increase child suicides’ are ‘unfounded and dangerous’

Claims made by trans activists which suggest that the puberty blocker ban would cause a rise in child suicides have been found to be “unfounded and dangerous”, according to an independent review.

The allegations, made by trans groups and the Good Law Project, were investigated by a suicide expert after being commissioned by the Government.

Prof Louis Appleby found the data “does not support the claims” and slammed the “insensitive, distressing and dangerous” language used by some activists.

His comments come after director at the Good Law Project, Jolyon Maugham claimed the puberty blocker ban would “kill trans children”.

The report stated: “Suicide should not be a slogan or a means to winning an argument.”

Appleby added that young people and their families “will be terrified by predictions of suicide as inevitable without puberty blockers” as he condemned the “‘dead child’ rhetoric”.

Since 2020, there has been no notable rise of suicides among patients at the Tavistock clinic.

Over the course of six years, there has been 12 reported suicides among patients.

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However, half of the deaths were over 18 years old and at different stages of their care plan – meaning they are not connected to any particular aspect of care.

Five of the deaths took place from 2018-19 to 2020-21, and there were seven in the three years since then.

Appleby, who is chairman of the national suicide prevention strategy advisory group, explained that due to the number of young people being referred, it is likely that there had been an increase in suicide rates over time.

There was “a degree of uncertainty about the deaths recorded as ‘suicide not confirmed’.”

Appleby concluded: “This is a group of young people who need compassion and security, skilled clinical assessment, early treatment for mental illnesses such as depression, support within their families and schools and online, and an expectation of recovery and a fulfilling future.”

A spokesman for Bayswater Support Group, which helps parents whose children have a transgender identity, said: “We are very grateful that the Government and Louis Appleby sent out a clear message that the exploitation of suicide statistics [is] false and dangerously irresponsible.”

Maugham added: “I was not contacted in advance of the statement being released and will obviously need time to respond.

“I do have difficulties with the figures and analysis and will respond in due course.”