Category: United Kingdom

Questions remain over puberty-blockers, as review clears study

BBC

Deborah Cohen,Hannah Barnes

Over the past year, there have been mounting criticisms of a study into the effects of puberty-blocking drugs when used to treat young people with gender dysphoria – including concerns raised by Newsnight.

The study was carried out at the Gender Identity Development Service (Gids) at London’s Tavistock Clinic – England’s only NHS youth gender clinic – and partly led to the clinic lowering the age at which it offers children puberty blockers. The clinic started recruiting young people to the study in 2011.

Puberty blockers are given to young people who are struggling with their gender identity. They work on the brain to stop the rise in sex hormones – oestrogen and testosterone – that accompanies puberty. These are the hormones that lead to changes in the body, such as periods, breasts or voice-breaking. . . [Full text]

Woman with severe learning disabilities to have abortion, judge rules

Doctors allowed to perform termination on woman with mental age of toddler

The Guardian

PA Media

A judge has given doctors the go-ahead to perform an abortion on a woman with severe learning disabilities who is 12 weeks pregnant.

Mr Justice Williams heard that a GP had recently discovered that the woman, who is in her 20s but has the mental age of a toddler, was pregnant.

He was told that a police investigation was under way.

The judge said the woman may have been raped or been made pregnant by a man who also had learning disabilities and a lack of understanding. Police would carry out DNA tests in a bid to establish the identity of the father, he was told. . .[Full text]

Abortion reforms: DoJ emails reveal concerns on ‘obvious difficulties’

Newsletter

Phil Bradfield 

Internal Department of Justice documents show senior officials believe the new regime of decriminalising abortion in Northern Ireland will present “obvious difficulties” for health professionals and the Department of Health.

The news comes after pro-life groups raised concerns that the new legal situation in Northern Ireland will provide little protection for health care professionals who wish to exercise conscientious objection to taking part in abortions. Other difficulties such groups envisage are regarding abortion pills and the readiness of the health service to provide abortions in NI. . . [Full text]

The transhumanists who are ‘upgrading’ their bodies

BBC

Fraser Gillan

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Winter Mraz says she loves having her keys in her hand but she does not mean holding them. She has actually had her door key implanted into her left hand in the form of a microchip.

In her right hand, she has had another microchip implant that acts as her business card but could also be used to store important medical information for use in the case of an emergency.

The 31-year-old engineer also has a magnet in one finger that allows her to sense electro-magnetic fields, which she says helps in her work.

But not all her body upgrades are practical. Her latest procedure is to have two LED implants, that turn on when a magnet is passed above them, illuminating her skin from inside.

Why? “Because they are sparkly and I’m a magpie,” she says. “I like things that light up.”

Winter is one of a growing number of people who call themselves “transhumanists”.

It is the belief that the humans can improve beyond their physical and mental limitations and “upgrade” their bodies by incorporating technology. . . . [Full Text]

Hunters up in arms as ‘anti-shooting’ GPs refuse to approve gun licences

Family doctors are turning conscientious objector and refusing to take part in a new system of firearm certification

The Times

Nicholas Hellen

The nation’s hunters and shooters are locked in a showdown with family doctors over plans to impose new medical checks before the issue of firearm and shotgun certificates.

GPs and their leaders are being accused of using their new powers as gun-licence gatekeepers to make life harder for almost 600,000 game hunters and clay pigeon enthusiasts.

Some are refusing to allow certificates on the grounds that they have moral objections to shooting, offering gun owners the choice of changing their GP or giving up their firearm. . . [Full text]